60 days without my leg
by Virg
Summary: Robin has broken his leg in battle and is forced to spend 2 months on the couch in Titan tower. 60 days of angst, antics, fun, boredom and romance ensue.. rated M for language, RR, themes and sexual refs RobRae
1. ch1: battle and broken

60 days without my leg

i dont own TT'.. unfortunately

Robin has broken his leg in battle and is forced to spend 2 months on the couch in Titan tower. 60 days of antics, fun, boredom and romance ensue..

**author's note: I made this on the assumption that raven couldn't use her magic to heal people- I haven't seen EVERY episode, but I've never seen her do it. **

**Also this story is supposed to be mostly from Robin's point of view and about his broken leg.. but I will be jumping to different POV's from time to time. Let's just say I was inspired to write this when I had a knee reconstruction and had my leg in a splint for weeks before and after the operation. I hope many other readers who have been injured in their lifetime can relate! Enjoy! **

**Ch1: Battle and broken**

Robin knew his wasn't invincible. He didn't have shields like Raven, or an alien indestructible body like Starfire. Even though he was the only human one in the team, Robin was still a formidable warrior. He was trained by the best. He was trained to use his abilities to beat his enemies. And even though he had no powers, he was the leader of the Teen Titans. He was the brain. He was the one that kept the group together. Batman helped him out when Robin first moved to Jump City. Batman set Robin up with gadgets and a headquarters to live in. Without the motorcycle and the utility belt, fighting enemies would be all the more harder to defeat.

Unfortunately for the boy wonder, the ninja skills, utility belt and leadership skills couldn't stop the concrete debris from landing on Robin.

Robin was knocked unconscious.

When he awoke, it had been hours and he found that he was in the hospital. His gaze was blurry at first, but a few moments later, he could see the worried eyes of Star staring down at him.

"Robin!" Starfire squealed as she flew around the room with glee. "I am so glad to see you are alright!"

"What.. What happened?" Robin mumbled. He tried to sit up, but a sharp pain in his left leg caused him to stop moving and lie back down again. He looked down and saw that he'd been stripped of his clothes and was wearing a hospital gown. His legs were bare, except now there was a massive plaster cast covering his left leg from his ankle to his thigh. Robin, realising that someone had undressed him, quickly reached up to see if his mask was still on.

"They left it on," Robin heard Raven's husky stoic voice saying.

Sure enough, his ungloved fingers could feel the soft rubber of his mask. He looked up and saw Raven walking into the room, with Cyborg and Beastboy right behind her.

"In the battle against Cinderblock," Starfire began to explain, "When friend Cyborg was thrown into the building, the big concrete piece fell and landed on you."

"We thought we lost ya!" Beastboy cried as he leapt over Raven and landed on Robin to hug the masked boy.

The impact made Robin groan in pain. "I'm fine, BB!" Robin said, trying to get the green boy off him. Beast boy realised that Robin was in pain and got off him.

Robin looked over and saw all the worried looks on his friend's faces. All except Raven's. Robin knew the gothic girl well enough to know that she didn't show emotions so openly like the others. He was about to ask what happened to Cinderblock, but then the nurse came into the room. Being one of the town's saviours guaranteed Robin a single room with no other patients around to bother him.

"Alright guys, time to let Robin have his rest," the large middle-aged woman announced. "Visiting hours are over."

"But! But!" Beast boy protested, falling to his knees before the nurse. "We can't leave Robin like this! He's vulnerable! He's hurt! He's my frieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeend!" Beast boy cried, grabbing the nurse's dress. Robin smacked his hand to his own forehead at the display Beast boy was putting on. Hang on.. why _did_ everyone have to leave?

"Can't I go home?" Robin asked the nurse. The nurse tried to ignore Beast boy's pleas for the moment and shook her head at Robin.

"You've broken your leg in three places and you may have a mild concussion. The doctors want to keep you here overnight, just to make sure you're okay. If all goes well.." The nurse looked down at Beast boy and tried to get him to let go of her dress, "then you can go home first thing tomorrow morning." This got Beast boy to let her go and squeal with glee.

"Can one of us stay with him?" Cyborg asked the large nurse.

The nurse saw the pleading looks on the titan's faces and sighed. "Okay. But just one of you."

"I'll stay with Robin," Raven announced, grabbing the attentions of everyone in the room. Considering how the others were acting up at the sight of Robin in the hospital, Raven was the last one they expected to stay with Robin.

The nurse looked at Raven and nodded. "Very well. Do you require a fold out bed? Or are you happy to sit in the chair provided?" the nurse asked.

Raven looked over at the massive chair parked next to Robin's bed. Hospital chairs were known for being gastly and uncomfortable. "I'll take the fold-out bed please," Raven replied stoicly. The nurse nodded approvingly at Raven's reply and walked out of the room, ushering out the other three titans as she walked out of the room. Beast boy, Cyborg and Star could be heard protesting as the nurse closed the door behind them, leaving Raven and Robin alone in the room.

The room was silent again.

Raven looked at Robin. He saw her staring at the cast on his leg. "The doc said we were lucky today," Raven said quietly. "He said you were lucky that the concrete only landed on your leg, because if it landed on your chest you could have died."

Even though Raven tried to hide her emotions from the world, Robin knew her well enough to hear her voice quiver ever so slightly as she spoke. "Must've given you guys quite a scare today, huh?"

Raven nodded as she sat on the end of his bed. "Starfire cried all night. After we found you unconscious, I used my powers to teleport us to the hospital and I had to leave the others behind so they can take care of Cinderblock," Raven explained. It was rare to hear Raven talk so much, but with the others gone, Robin found that Raven tended to open up more. "Cinderblock escaped, but when the others got to the hospital, the doctors were already tending to your leg and wouldn't let us in to see you. The nurse let Starfire in first after they brought you back into the ward."

Robin nodded. "I guess that's when I woke up and the rest of you came into the room?" he asked. Raven nodded. There was a knock at the door. The nurse had arrived with the fold-out bed. Raven and Robin thanked the woman as she set up the bed and left.

"Might as well get used to the silence, Boy blunder," Raven commented as she took off her cloak and lay under the covers of her fold-out bed. "Because things are never this quiet at home."

Robin snorted at Raven's comment. She was right. Titan tower was never quiet, especially when Beast boy and Cyborg and Star were all at home at the same time. "Is that why you volunteered to stay here tonight?" Robin asked.

Raven only smirked in his direction. Robin laughed as he watched her lie down and pretend to sleep. "You didn't even want to stay to make sure I was okay?" He joked, pouting in her direction.

Raven raised an eyebrow at Robin's pout. "You're clearly okay," she groaned. "I could always ask Starfire to stay the night instead.." She threatened.

Robin almost leapt from the bed, "No no! That's okay! I" He replied, waving his arms about. "I'll take the peace and quiet while I can get it!" He said, also lying back down to try get some much-needed sleep. Robin switched off the lights, using his remote that hung from his bedside and lay down on his back. With his leg in a plaster, he couldn't move around onto his side. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, Robin removed his mask. He never slept with it on at Titan tower, but today he had company. Robin was thankful that the rest of the titans never asked him to take it off. Cyborg once said that Robin will show them his face when he's ready. Robin turned his head and looked down at the fold-out bed on that lay next to his bed, only lower to the ground. The moonlight streaming in from the window was enough for him to make our Raven's unmoving figure. She had her back to him. Robin placed his mask back over his eyes, and figured he better get used to sleeping with it on if he was going to stay in hospital. He looked back over at Raven.

"Raven?" He asked quietly, unsure if she'd fallen asleep already or not.

"Hnn?" Raven grunted back as she rolled over to face Robin.

"Thanks," He smiled at her, but was unsure if she could see it in the dark of the hospital ward.

"Anytime," She replied before rolling back over to sleep.

Quiet or not, Robin found it hard to sleep with the throbbing pain in his left leg.

------------------------

Robin awoke to the sounds of someone munching food.. loudly. He slowly opened his eyes, allowing them adjust to the bright white neon lights of the ward. Beast boy was eating from Robin's breakfast tray. Beast boy noticed the movements coming from Robin's direction and smiled as he ate. "Oh, hey Robin!" Beast boy grinned with jumbled toast stuck in his teeth.

"Hey, Beastboy," Robin greeted, cringing at the sight of Beast boy's food-infested grin. "Taste testing my breakfast?" Robin asked sarcastically, raising an eyebrow in Beast boy's direction.

Beast boy smiled and finished off the piece of toast. "Sorry, Robin.."

Robin smiled weakly at Beast boy. He knew this was normal behaviour for his green-haired friend, and Robin would have normally cracked it at Beast boy. But the pounding pain in his leg took away Robin's desire to eat.

He looked over at the rest of his team. Raven, Star and Cyborg were all sitting along the stretcher that Raven had slept in during the night. As concerned as they were for Robin, hospitals were utterly boring places to be in. "So did you guys burn down Titan Tower yet?" Robin joked at the idea of Star, Cyborg and Beast boy alone in the mansion.

"Har har," Cyborg groaned as he crossed his cybernetic arms. "When are they gonna let us bring you home already!? It's boring in here!"

Almost as if she could hear him, the nurse that the team had spoken to the night before had walked into the room, followed by a tall elderly doctor. The famous 5 turned to the medical staff that had entered the room.

"Mr.. Robin.." the doctor announced, not knowing Robin's real surname. Being a super hero and all, and still in costume, Robin wasn't prepared t give the doctor his real name. "It looks like you're ready to go home," He announced cheerfully. "You've broken your leg in three places and you have a hairline fracture on your lower left rib. You'll need to take it easy for 6 weeks."

Robin nearly fell out of bed at what he'd just been told. "Six weeks!? Are you serious!? What do you mean by 'easy'?"

The doctor tried to comfort the teenager by smiling at him."You'll need to come back in 6 weeks to get the cast removed. Until then, no walking on that leg and no strenuous upper-body movements so that your rib heals properly. After we remove the cast, you may find that your left leg has lost a muscle mass, so you'll find that it'll take you a few more weeks to get your strength back."

Robin sighed. There was nothing he could do about it. He was after all, only human.

Cyborg stood up from the stretcher that he was sitting on. "So we gotta fight crime without Robin for the next 2 months?!"

The doctor nodded. "I've seen you all on TV when you fight crime. I hardly call that 'taking it easy'". The doc said. "So, once nurse Richards brings you your new crutches, you'll be ready to go home."

Nurse Richards walked up to the bed that Robin sat on. "Let me see," She said, looking at Robin. "I'd say you're about medium height.."

Robin pulled his shoulders back and stretched his neck as far as it would go, "I'm not a medium."

The large nurse just giggled at him and walked out of the room with the doctor. Within minutes she had arrived with the medium-sized crutches for the boy wonder. "Okay, I need you to slide off the bed and stand on your good leg so I can get your crutches to match your height," the nurse instructed.

Robin groaned as he was forced to move his left leg. The throbbing pain only got worse as he lowered his leg off the edge of the bed and kept the weight off his broken leg. The nurse adjusted the crutches and allowed Robin to use them.

-------------------

_-2 hours later-_

When they got back to Titan Tower, the rest of the gang led Robin to the couch to rest. Pillows were placed on the end of the coffee table so that Robin could rest his leg on. Beast boy hooked up the game system for Robin and Cyborg handed Robin the TV remotes so he won't have to get up to do anything. Robin was too tired and sore to want to do anything. So he flicked channels on the TV, unable to decide on a particular station. Raven sat on the couch next to him, reading a dark-covered book.

"Here you go, Robin!" Starfire exclaimed as she flew over to him and handed him a glass of something.. purple..

Robin took the mystery drink and stared at it quizzingly. "Thanks, Star.. What is it?"

Star giggled and announced, "It is a healing juice that is tradition on my home planet!"

"Are you sure it's not lethal to humans?" Raven commented, eyeing the purple drink. Star giggled and flew off to go do whatever it is that Starfire does in her spare time.

Robin looked at Raven with an 'I'm not drinking this' look on his face. She had a similar look on her face and she took the drink from him. "Let's just leave it over here.." Raven mumbled as she placed the drink on the coffee table.

Robin resumed flicking channels on the Tv and after a minute, he stopped when something on TV caught his eye.

_"..And thanks to an amateur home video from a civilan bystander, we have footage of the incident.."_

"What the f.." Robin exclaimed as he saw footage of concrete falling and landing on himself.

Raven looked up from her book to see what Robin was watching. "Can they show that on TV without your permission?" She asked.

_"..our news team went over to the Jump City Hospital to find out the condition of Robin, the leader of the Teen Titans. However, the spoke woman from Jump City Hospital had only this to say?"_

Robin turned up the volume, anxious to hear what the hospital staff had to say (again, without his permission).

_".. due to the patient-doctor confidentiality, we cannot release the condition that Robin is in. However, what we can say is that he will live to fight crime another day."_

Raven looked over at Robin. "How are the media going to react when they don't see you out there with us for 2 months?"

Robin gave Raven the hairy eyeball. "What are you _talking_ about!? I'll be out there!"

Raven snorted at his comment. "OOhh.. beware Boy Blunder and his crutches of doom!" Raven teased, acting as unimpressed as possible.

Robin crossed his arms and huffed in defeat and returned his vision to the television.

_"..We are now standing outside Titan Tower, hoping for an official statement from the titanic team.."_

Raven, hearing this, closed her book and flew over to the large double glazed windows to take a look outside. "She's right, Raven said, turning back to Robin. "There's a newscrew out there. Looks like they came over on a boat." Raven watched Robin reach over for his crutches. She crossed her arms and leaned on one leg, giving Robin her usual unimpressed look. "What are you doing?"

Robin struggled, but got up off the couch and hobbled across the room towards the door. "I'm going to go out there and talk to them. The city needs to know that I'm alright."

Raven sighed. "The villains of Jump City don't need to know that you're out of commission either."

Hearing that, Robin stopped where he was and look over at his hooded friend. "You've got a point there."

Raven nodded. "So what do we do?"

Just as Robin was about to respond, Beast Boy cam running into the room. "Hey guys, there's a news crew outside!" He squealed before running back out of the room and down to the front door.

Robin tried to hobble across the room and too the door as fast as he could, but with a throbbing pain shooting up his leg every time his leg swayed back and forth, he wasn't getting very far. "Argh!" Robin groaned. He looked over at Raven. "Can you go get him?"

Raven rolled her eyes, "I'll go get him. ." she grumbled before flying off to down the stairs to stop Beast Boy.

As Raven flew down the long staircase towards the front door, she could hear that Beast Boy had already reached the front entrance and was conversing with the news crew. "Yeah, well me may not have stopped Cinderblock just yet, but we definitely have that guy on his toes!" Beast Boy gloated as Raven floated behind him.

Raven lowered herself to the floor and looked over Beast Boy's shoulder. He didn't realise yet that Raven was behind him. The news crew were standing just outside the front entrance of Titan Tower, led by a busty blonde news reporter holding a black microphone towards Beast Boy. "And speaking of 'toes', what is the condition of the Jump City's favourite Titan?"

Beast Boy's right eye began to twitch, and he put his hands on his hips. "_Favourite_ Titan!?" He exclaimed.

Before he could say anything more, Raven used her powers to gag her green friend and move him aside so that she could talk to the news crew instead. Beast boy's muffled protests went unheard as the news crew focussed their attentions on Raven instead. "Robin is fine." Raven said, in her raspy, unimpressed voice.

The bubbly, blonde news reporter leaned forward, as if trying to look over Raven's shoulder and into the tower. "Can we talk to Robin?"

"No."

"Why not? Don't you think that the public would like to see for themselves that Robin is unharmed?"

Raven hated the press. Especially the bubbly, pushy news reporters. "He's busy," Raven groaned. A vein was almost about to pop out of her forehead. She needed to get rid of them. In her anger, Raven forgot to continue to gag Beast boy, and the black gag over Beast boy's mouth disappeared.

The news reporter didn't take the hint. "But, can we just come in for a moment and.."

Raven had had enough. "No. Just respect our privacy!" Raven growled as she used her powers on the unsuspecting news crew. They were all suddenly covered in a black shield.

"What.. What are you doing?" The news reporter exclaimed as she found herself and her crew being levitated across the span of water that surrounded Titan Tower and lowered down onto the shore on the other side.

"Er, Raven.." Beast boy said softly, as he tapped her on the shoulder. Raven turned around and glared at him. Beast boy felt like he was three inches tall. "You left their boat here.."

Raven turned back around and saw a speedboat sitting on the shore. She rolled her eyes and levitated the boat over to where the news crew were placed. "I hate news reporters," Raven grumbled as she turned and walked into the tower.

----------------------------

Raven and Beast Boy made their way back to the lounge room. Beast Boy was lecturing Raven on how super heroes should be nicer to the people. As they reached the living room, Cyborg came running into the room from the direction of the dorm rooms. "Hey Robin!" Cyborg called out as he stormed into the room. He was holding a red mobile phone.

Robin, who was sitting on the couch, turned his head to see what Cyborg was calling him for.

"I was walking past your room and I heard a phone ring," Cyborg explained quickly as he ran over to the black-haired guy. "And so I went into your room because I thought it was odd to hear a phone ringing, because you don't have a mobile phone, and I saw this red phone ringing. I thought you said it didn't work, man?" Cyborg said as he passed the phone to Robin.

Robin flipped open the red mobile phone and read the 'missed call' message. "It does work," Robin explained. "Only, it's never gone off because it's the emergency phone Batman gave me when I left Gotham City."

"Whoah, dude!" Beast boy exclaimed. "Batman is calling you?" "Well, yeah.. He _was_ my mentor.." Robin replied. "But since I left Gotham City, I haven't really spoken to him much." Raven knew a bit about Robin's past since she'd read his mind a few months back. "But you have been wanting to go back and visit for a while now.." She said, remembering the feeling she got when Robin showed her his thoughts on his life in Gotham City. Robin nodded in reply. "I better call him ba-" he started to say, but he was cut off when the red phone rang again. "I can't believe it!" Beast boy danced around excitedly. "Batman is calling us!" Just then, Starfire entered the room and heard the end of Beast boy's sentence. Raven gave Beast boy her typical unimpressed look. "He's not calling _us_, Fur ball. He's calling _Robin_." Everyone watched as Robin answered the phone. Starfire stood next to Cyborg and Beast boy and watched as Robin spoke silently into the phone. "Is this Batman the man that Robin kicked the side in Gotham city?" Everyone suddenly 'shhh!'d Starfire. Then Cyborg leaned in and whispered to Starfire, "Robin was Batman's _sidekick_ in Gotham City," then Cyborg went back to listening to the phone call, along with everyone else.

"Yeah.. I'm fine.. Just broke my leg.. 6 weeks.. " Robin said over the phone. "I don't know.. Maybe.. Okay.. When? Tomorrow?.. Alright, I'll call you later." Robin then hung up and placed the phone down on the couch next to him.

Beast Boy Peered over the couch in excitement. "Does he need our help!? Are we going to Gotham City!?" He asked excitedly.

Robin shook his head calmly. "He saw the news report about me hurting my leg. He wants me to go visit since I'm out of commission."

"So are you going alone?" Raven asked. "You're not exactly _capable_ of flying the T-ship alone.."

Robin nodded in agreement. "I know. I was thinking of asking you to come with me," Robin said, to Raven's amazement.

The others almost fell over in shock. "You're taking Raven?!" Beast Boy squealed. "What about _us_!?"

"Yeah!" Cyborg groaned in agreement. "Maybe _we_ wanna meet Batman in the flesh too!"

Robin would normally have gotten up and paced in front of his comrades, but with a cast covering his whole left leg, he opted to continue to sit instead. "I think Raven would enjoy the experience more," Robin explained.

"What do you mean, Robin?" Starfire asked. Robin could see the hurt look on her face for not asking her to join him. "Are we not worthy of meeting your father figure?"

Robin didn't like that he hurt the others' feelings. "Sorry guys, but we can't just leave Jump City totally defenceless," he explained. "And let's just say that Raven will appreciate Batman's natural gothic taste the most."

Raven raised an eyebrow at Robin's explanation. "So how long are we going for?" She asked.

Robin smiled at Raven's acceptance to go to Gotham City with him. "For two weeks," he replied. He then frowned, looking at what Raven was wearing. "Um.. You're going to need to get some civilian clothes.."

Raven looked down at the usual Dark blue attire that she was wearing. "I thought you said he was gothic?"

Robin rubbed the back of his head, a sign that he wasn't exactly telling the truth. "He has a secret identity, and we're going to be in his home.. So we're not exactly going to stay in uniform the whole time.."

This really irked Cyborg and Beast boy. "You're going to see who Batman is during the day!? Oh Man! That's totally unfair!" Cyborg groaned.

"Raven, you're so lucky!" Beast boy said, practically hugging her leg. "Take me with you!"

Raven snarled at the green boy who had latched onto her. "Get off before I make you. It's not that big a deal."

"Robin has decided to trust you with the secret identity of Batman," Starfire explained, sounding hurt. "It is an occasion to feel honoured."

Robin knew that Starfire had a crush on him, but he was thinking logically when he decided to take Raven with him. He needed to cheer her up, and then talk to her later when the others weren't there. "You can take Raven shopping for clothes.." He said suggestively.

This perked Starfire up, just as expected. "Yes!" She squealed. Starfire _loved_ shopping with a passion. "Let us go find you some clothes of the civilians!" Raven couldn't help but let out a yelp as Star grabbed her by the arm and led her out the room.

The boys watched the two girls leave the room. When the sliding doors shut behind them, Cyborg and Beast boy turned to Robin. "You hurt her feelings, man," Cyborg said, stating the obvious.

Robin nodded in agreement, "I know. But like I said, Raven's just the natural choice."

-----------------------

-_The next day-_

Raven started up the engines of the T-ship. "Ready for take-off."

"See you guys soon!" Cyborg farewelled his friends over the radio.

"Call us if you need anything!" Beast boy also called out over the radio.

"Likewise," Robin replied. "Look after yourselves." And with that, Raven initiated the engines and the T-ship was in the air, on its way to Gotham city.

Robin was uncomfortable, being cramped up in a small cockpit, with his erect leg perched up on the dashboard of his small section of the ship. He groaned as he tried to move his broken leg to get more comfortable.

"You might feel uncomfortable like that, but I feel your pain," Raven explained her lip curled up as if her clothes stunk of rotten eggs.

Robin looked over to his right, seeing Raven in the centre bubble of the T-ship. "Why? You don't look half bad."

Raven looked down at her own clothes that Starfire helped her pick out. She was wearing black denim jeans, black combat boots and a dark blue, long-sleeved top that exposed her shoulders. "I'm not used to feeling so.. exposed.." Raven said, rubbing her bare collarbones. She then looked over at him. Robin was wearing baggy jeans (because that was all that would fit over his plaster-cast) and a black T-shirt. "If we're dressed in civilian clothes, why are you still wearing your mask?"

The Titans never tried to lead lives that involved secret identities. But since Robin already had a life with Batman, and managed to keep his identity a secret, he didn't change that when he formed the teen titans. Questions about his mask came up when the Teen titans first formed, but once it was made clear that Robin wasn't going to remove his mask around the others, the topic was dropped.. until now, four years later.

Robin knew it'd come up eventually, especially now that they were on their way to Wayne Manor. Realising that now they were outside of range from the rest of the Titans, he removed his mask. He knew he'd have to show Raven his secret identity sooner or later, but after living with the titans, being 'Robin' had become his _only_ identity. Robin looked over at Raven, showing her his eyes for the first time. Raven's eyes widened in response. They were sitting metres apart, each locked in their own compartment of the T-Ship, so she couldn't get a clear view of him. But at the same time, she took in as much of his features as she could.

"Your eyes.." Raven exclaimed. "They're so blue."

He wanted to explain to Raven why he'd chose her to open up to first. He wasn't exactly sure how to explain it to her, but he tried anyway. "I didn't only choose you because you share the same gothic tastes as Batman. I chose you to come because you've already been inside my mind, so who I am, and who Batman is, should be less of a shock to you than it would for the others." He looked over at Raven and smiled. "Plus, I know you can keep secrets better than the others."

Raven smiled back, feeling honoured that Robin would allow her to share his secrets with her.

-----------------------

**Author's notes: alright, end of chapter 1! What did ya'll think? The 'red phone' Robin had, was my homage to the original red phone that the Batman and Robin had 30years ago on the old-school shows.. Man, I thought that red-phone was so cool! **

**Alright, and for the shippers out there.. I'm not going to reveal all my secrets just yet.. BUT lemme say this. I'm a massive rob/rav fan.. BUT in the toons, I really think Robin digs girls like star.. so we shall see who he ends up with in the end, eh? **


	2. ch2: jealous tendencies

**Author's notes: This chapter (and maybe the next few) is mostly going to be about Robin and raven at Wayne Manor. Don't worry, titan fans.. the others will come back into it soon.**

**Chapter 2: Jealous Tendencies**

As they reached Gotham City, Robin instructed Raven on where to fly the ship. Raven watched in awe as they entered the batcave and landed the T-Ship in an empty hangar bay. She powered down the ship and opened up the pod that she was in. Realising that since she helped Robin get into the ship with her powers, she'd have to help him out of it. So she used her powers and a black shield covered Robin, his crutches, their bags, and herself as she levitated them all out of the ship and onto the platform below.

"Thanks," Robin said, as he found his crutches had levitated over to him.

_-Intruder alert.. Intruder alert-_

Raven's defences went up as she heard the female siren filled the cave. Robin smiled at her. It was the same reaction he'd seen on the faces of others that were chosen to visit the batcave. "It's alright, Raven," he reassured her.

Suddenly the alarm died down, as if someone had flicked a switch. "Welcome, Master Grayson!" An elderly voice echoed throughout the cave.

Robin's face lit up and he hobbled across the cave as fast as he could. Raven watched as her spikey-haired friend made it over to the elderly man dressed in a black suit. "Alfred!"

Raven watched on as she saw a whole other side of Robin. This Robin seemed so friendly, and at home. "How are you!?" Robin asked excitedly, hugging the elderly man.

"I am well, unlike you at the moment," The butler smiled, looking down at Robin's leg. "Oh we have missed you," Alfred replied, his deep English accent filled the cave. "The mansion has become so quiet since your departure."

Raven took this opportunity to check out her surroundings. She was surprised because she didn't think it was Robin's tastes to live in such a dank, dark batcave. It was more her thing. Raven's mouth dropped in awe at how cool the batcave looked. Bats hung from the cavern top, assorted bat-vehicles stationed around the outskirts of the cave, and opposite them in the hanger bay was a large computer screen and many electronic panels. Alfred had appeared to come in from behind the computer system, from a dark corridor. At the same time, she was listening to Alfred and Robin's conversations. "Hang on.. Did you say 'mansion'?" She asked, finding that they were definitely not standing within a mansion.

Robin and Alfred turned to face Raven. "Sorry, Raven," Robin apologised, realising that he'd forgotten his manners. "Alfred, this is Raven. Raven, this is Alfred." Raven walked over to the two and shook hands with Alfred.

"Nice to meet you," She said politely. "So did you say 'mansion'?" She repeated.

Alfred nodded. "This lair is actually below Wayne Manor."

Raven raised an eyebrow. "Wayne Manor?.. As in, Bruce _Wayne_?"

"Yes," A new voice replied behind her. Raven turned and saw a tall man, dressed in a dark green sweater and black pants, looking down on her. "You must be Raven," He said politely, extending his hand for her to shake.

Raven was taken back by the man before her. He looked to be pushing 40 years of age, but had the air of a man who emanated power and charisma. Raven took his hand and shook it, looking up at his dark brown eyes. "Bruce Wayne.." She replied, remembering seeing him on TV regularly (as he owned half of Gotham City). "Robin never mentioned you were actually Batman.." She said nervously.

Bruce smiled at her. "Good to see he's still good at keeping secrets. In the few times we've spoken, Robin _has_ mentioned you."

Robin cleared his throat, trying to get Bruce's attentions.

Bruce Wayne looked over at his ex-sidekick and smiled. "Great to have you back, Dick," he said as he walked over to Robin. "You got taller I see," he said, then raised an eyebrow at Robin's spikey hairstyle. "What happened to your hair?"

Robin was practically fuming at the mention of his hair. "It's the style these days!" He groaned.

Bruce laughed and started walking down the dark corridor that Alfred had come into the cave from. "Let's go inside and have a proper greeting."

Alfred nodded, "I've cooked a fine meal," He explained. The elderly butler then turned to Raven. "Do you like roast beef, Miss Raven?"

Raven nodded and blushed at the formal greeting he'd used. "Yes." And with that, Alfred nodded then walked towards the dark corridor behind Bruce.

Raven glanced over at Robin. She still hadn't had time to properly study his face, now that it was uncovered. But she'd have two weeks to do that. Her stomach was grumbling, and there was one thing that she had to ask Robin. "You're name is 'Dick'?" She asked, with a hint of a giggle in her breath.

Robin glared over at her. "Yeah.. Something wrong with that?"

This time Raven couldn't stop the giggle, her voice amplified by the cave. "No.." She smirked and began walking off to follow Bruce and Alfred. Not hearing Robin following her, she looked over her shoulder as she said, "Are you coming, or do I have to levitate you everywhere?"

Robin groaned and hobbled across the batcave, following Raven. "It's good to be back," Robin said to himself, taking a look around the batcave. "But I wonder how long it'll feel like this.."

--------------------------

Robin stared down at his meal, or what was left of it. Alfred wasn't kidding when he said he cooked a good meal. Robin had devoured his roast and vegetables so fast, he would have given Beast boy a run for his money.. if BB ate meat. Robin looked across the table, seeing Raven sitting opposite him. She was still finishing her meal, but seemed to be enjoying it also. Robin then looked to his right, "So, what's news in Gotham City?" Robin asked Bruce, who was sitting at the end of the table.

Bruce finished the food that was in his mouth, then wiped his lips with his fabric champagne-coloured napkin. "It hasn't changed much since you left," Bruce replied. "Wayne enterprises has expanded, with numerous-"

"I mean at night," Robin said, cutting him off. Bruce smirked at his young apprentice. Business always did bore Robin. "I'd offer to take you with me tonight to have a look for yourself, but.."

Robin had a vein pulsating on his forehead that was about to pop. "Funny.." He grumbled at being teased at with this weakness that was his broken leg.

Raven watched the interactions between the two of them. She didn't have any pre-conceptions on what Batman and Robin's relationship would be like, but she assumed they'd be just like a loving father-son relationship. But they seemed to be constantly butting heads, like brothers. "Do you patrol the city regularly, or do you receive alerts from the city?" She asked, curious if he lived off a system similar to the Titans (Which is 'lounge about until receiving an alert from the city').

"When I don't have any previous engagements, I usually patrol the city. However, I do receive signals from the city if they require my assistance.." He replied, taking a sip from his glass of red wine.

"Signals?" Raven asked. She didn't know what he meant.

Robin looked pissed off, as if he'd been outshone by the older man next to him, a common theme that seemed to plague Robin even when he was Batman's sidekick. "You've never heard of 'the bat signal'?" He asked.

Raven shook her head. Bruce placed his glass back down on the table. "Don't worry. If you're here for the next two weeks, you'll see it more than a few times," Bruce explained. The billionaire then stood from his seat. "If you'll excuse me, I have a fundraiser to attend to. As it's your first night here, I figured you would both prefer to tour the mansion and make yourselves at home."

Raven nodded at him. "Robin has told me you have a taste for Gothic art," She replied.

Bruce smiled. "Yes. Feel free to roam the mansion. Alfred can help you with any questions you might have. Now if you'll excuse me, I must get ready," He announced. Bruce then turned and left the room.

Robin sighed and leaned his head on his hand, his right elbow leaning on the dining table.

"What's the matter?" Raven asked, just as she finished her meal and placed her cutlery in her plate.

"It's nothing," Robin groaned. "Come on, let's go find you a room."

--------------------------

Alfred had placed Raven's bags into the bedroom that was next to Robin's. Robin followed Raven to her bedroom and watched her smile in awe at the state of the room. She flew around, checking out the relics that sat on the mantelpiece above the fireplace. On the far end of the room was a large four-poster bed, with black bedding. Her bags had been placed at the foot of the bed. Robin hobbled over to her bed and sat down, lifting his plaster-cast leg up onto the bed to rest it. He watched Raven fly around the room. She was clearly enjoying her surroundings. "Don't get _too_ comfortable," Robin teased, "We're only staying 2 weeks."

Raven smiled back at Robin. "This place is amazing," Raven stated, trying to not sound like a bumbling teenager.

Robin nodded. "It is.."

Raven flew back to the bed and sat on it, facing Robin. "But I guess I can start touring the mansion tomorrow," Raven explained. She was staring at Robin. It was making him nervous. She was looking at his eyes, it was obvious.

"Do you think I've kept you and the others at a distance because I've never taken my mask off?" Robin asked. It was a question that had plagued him for years, but the opportunity to ask it had just never come up.

Raven thought about it for a moment. "I think we have _all_ been wearing masks through the years."

Robin raised an eyebrow at his friend's deep words. "What do you mean?"

Raven replied, "I mean, the rest of us may not have been wearing masks in the literal sense, but we all had our secrets. Don't you remember me keeping secret the fact that I was a portal for my demon father?"

"You have a point."

"So does this mean you're going to reveal your secret identity to the others when we get back?" Raven asked. She was still staring at his eyes. Finally seeing the deep blue eyes and black eyebrows of her best friend made a huge difference to his look. Wearing the mask was hardly doing him justice.

Robin rubbed his chin in thought. "I'm not sure. I guess I'll cross that bridge when I come to it."

Raven nodded. "Fair enough.. Dick," She smirked, saying his name.

Robin knew he'd copp flack for his name eventually. "Alright, I'm going to bed if you're going to be like that," he joked, getting off the bed and hobbled towards the door, pretending to be mad.

Robin could hear Raven giggling a he exited the room. "Goodnight, Robin!" She called out as he closed the door behind him.

"Good night!" Robin called through the door and headed towards his own room.

-----------------------

Robin awoke, slowly registering that he wasn't in his room at Titan Tower. He sat up, groaning at the throbbing pain in his left leg. Having a cast running from his ankle to his upper thigh really restricted what Robin was able to do. He had to use his hands to lift his leg over the edge of the bed. He reached over and picked up his crutches that sat against the bedside table.

The 'walk' across the mansion to the kitchen was long and tiresome. Robin may have been fit, but the crutches were tiring out his arms and they were digging into his armpits. "Why couldn't I just be like Cyborg and have replacement parts?" Robin groaned to himself as he reached the door to the kitchen.

Robin pushed open the swing door and used the rubber base of his right crutch on the floor to hold the door open. Alfred was drying dishes while he listened to Raven's storytelling. Raven was sitting on a stool at the bench with a bowl of cereal in front of her. She was dressed in a pair of long grey trackpants and a black t-shirt, bought during her shopping spree with Starfire. "And that's when I told them I was created as a portal for my father, Trigon, to enter through and rule the world.."

Alfred brought his hand to his mouth, "My word, Miss Raven," The elderly gent exclaimed. "Then what happened?"

Robin felt bad for taking this time to interrupt the interesting story telling by Raven, but his good leg was getting sore from leaning on it and he really needed to sit. "And then Raven became the portal, Trigon tried to take over, but Raven stopped him."

Raven smiled at Robin. "No need to give me _all_ the credit," she smirked.

"Well you _were_ the one to stop him!" Robin replied, hobbling over to the bench and sitting on the stool next to Raven. With the cast reaching half-way up his thigh, he had to sit on an angle, with his left butt-cheek half off the seat. It had only been two days and already the cast was annoying him. Despite his annoyance, Robin smiled at Alfred, "Morning Alfred," he greeted.

"Morning, Master Dick," the butler greeted back as he turned to put a plate in its rightful place in the cupboard.

Raven looked at Robin through the corner of her eye, "Good morning, Raven..." She said, cue-ing him to greet her too.

Robin smiled at his forgetfulness. "God morning, Raven," he greeted. Robin then turned to Alfred, "Where's Bruce?"

Alfred replied, "Master Bruce got in only a few hours ago from the fundraiser. I expect he should be sleeping well into the afternoon.." Then Alfred changed the subject, "Have you taken a tour of the mansion yet, Miss Raven?"

Raven shook her head as she finished the toast that was in her mouth. "No, I haven't. But I figure I have 2 weeks to have a look around.." she replied.

Robin smiled. Raven always did have great logic. If he'd taken BeastBoy or Cyborg to the mansion, they'd be running around by now trying to see everything at once! "How about we check out Gotham City today?" Robin asked Raven. "I haven't been here for a few years, but I know you'll love this city!"

Raven smiled at her friend. "Sounds good," she replied.

This time Alfred took his turn to talk, "I'll have the car ready in an hour."

--------------------------------------------

Robin sat on the large, dark brown, leather couch in the living room. He stared at the open fire. Alfred had driven them around Gotham City and they'd shown Raven the sights. However, Robin spent half the day pissed off because the crutches had dug into his underarms and bruised the palms of his hands when they decided to walk around the city. Robin, never one to give up, walked for hours around the city with Raven. Robin shot Raven death glares when she offered to push him in a wheelchair. Fortunately, Raven forced Robin to sit down every time they passed a cafe or whenever she wanted to stop and look at something.

Robin tried to push his fingers under the plaster to itch his leg. The only problem was, his fingers weren't long enough to get in far enough to itch his knee. Robin groaned in frustration.

"If you want," Raven said as she walked into the room, "I can go find a pool cue or something you can use to itch your leg?"

Robin watched as Raven walked in, holding a tray with two mugs on it. "Nah.. I'll be alright.." he replied as he watched Raven walk over towards the couch and place the tray on the coffee table in front of Robin. "What's that?" Robin asked.

"I got us some hot chocolate," Raven replied. She picked up the first mug and handed it to Robin. Robin took it and brought the mug close to his mouth, blowing on the hot liquid to cool it. Raven took the second mug and sat down on the cough next to Robin, also doing the same with her drink.

"You know, Alfred could have gotten the hot chocolates for you," Robin explained.

Raven shrugged. "I know, but I feel bad coz he's elderly and all. Don't you feel wierd having a butler?"

Robin shrugged back. "It was wierd at first, and I didn't let him wash or cook for me in the beginning. But after a while you get used to it."

"Alfred told me he was a butler at Buckingham palace," Raven explained.

Robin nodded but his reply was cut off by a voice on the far side of the room. "He _was_, but then my grandfather paid him more than what he was getting at Buckingham Palace."

Robin and Raven turned to see Bruce Wayne standing in the doorway. He was dressed in a black shirt, with matching black dress pants. A red rose was tucked into his left chest-pocket.

"Going out again?" Robin asked, almost sounding like a disapproving parent.

Bruce smirked at Robin's comment. "I'll invite both of you to join me at the next fundraiser, I promise," Bruce explained. "But tonight I have a date. You remember Chase Meridian..?"

Robin nodded. "Yeah. She coming here?"

Bruce nodded. "She'll be here shortly for drinks. Don't worry, we'll be in the drawing room so we don't disturb you two," Bruce explained, smirking at Robin.

Robin and Raven's faces went bright red. Bruce was insinuating that Robin and Raven would hook up. Raven cleared her throat. "Question," Raven said, raising her hand. "If you and.. _Dick_..," She said, raising an eyebrow at the mention of Robin's name, "..Use aliases, does that mean I need another name too?"

Bruce wrapped his left arm around his own waist, and rubbed his chin with his right hand. "I never thought of that. I guess you _could_ make up a name if you want," Bruce replied.

Robin smiled at Raven as he got an idea. "You look like a Rachel," the spikey-haired teen commented.

Raven blushed at the comment. "Rachel.." She said, listening to the sound of it coming from her own lips. "Sounds pretty good.. Thanks, Robin – I mean, Dick.." Raven blushed.

Robin figured he better put Raven out of her misery and said, "My real name's 'Richard'." Robin explained.

The sounds of someone clearing their throat came from behind Bruce. Bruce turned around to see Alfred standing behind him. "Miss Meridian has arrived," Alfred announced.

Bruce smiled as Chase walked into the room, smiling as she walked up to Bruce and planted a kiss on his lips. "It's good to see you again, Bruce," She greeted. She flicked her long golden hair out of her face and it seemed to mesmerise Bruce as her locks found their place again on her shoulders.

"Good to see you too, Chase," Bruce smiled back. "I'm glad your job brought you back to Gotham City."

Robin and Raven watched the exchange between his mentor and former girlfriend. Robin watched as the two seemed to rekindle their long lost romance. Robin cleared his throat when he realised Bruce and Chase were in a daze. Raven seemed oblivious to the whole thing. How was she to know that four years ago, Chase found out that Bruce was batman, kidnapped by two-face, rescued by Batman (and Robin), and then dated Bruce for a year until her job forced her to move to Metropolis.

The clearing of Robin's throat knocked the two lovebirds out of their stupor. "Oh, I'm sorry," Bruce said, turning to face Robin and Raven. "Chase, you remember Dick Grayson," He said.

Chase smiled and nodded her head at Robin. "Good to see you again," she said sweetly. "And who's your girlfriend?"

Robin almost gagged in shock at Chase's accusation. His bright blue eyes nearly popped out of his head. Bruce laughed. "Remember when I told you how Dick moved to Jump City? _Rachel_ is a teammate of his," Bruce explained, using Raven's new alias.

Chase smiled. "Ooooh," realising her mistake. "Well, it was very nice to meet you, Rachel."

Raven nodded back and replied, "Nice to meet you too."

Having enough with the pleasantries, Bruce put an arm around Chase's waist and led her out of the room. Robin and Raven could hear Chase's very obvious, "They look cute together," as she walked out of the room.

Robin turned to Raven, they were both blushing at each other. Raven looked at the fire, then back at Robin, trying to keep her emotions in check before she accidentally blew something up. "I'm guessing you never had any girls come over?"

Robin shook his head. "_Bruce_ has always been the ladies man.."

Raven wasn't sure of what to make of what Robin was saying or why he was acting the way he did. This was a different Robin from the confident and bossy Robin she was used to. This Robin came across as jealous of Bruce and moodier than usual. She figured that since she already had him talking, she might as well ask him now. "Even though this was your home, you don't seem so happy to be back.."

Robin nodded, but also felt bad that he came across that way. "Truthfully, I _am_ glad to be back.. But it also reminded me of the reasons why I left four years ago.." Robin looked to the fire. The reflection of the flames danced in his blue eyes, and Raven watched them intensely. "We butt heads a lot, kind of like how a father and son normally would, but when the two of us fought crime, we really got along... most of the time. But with this stupid leg.. I can't relive the glory days by going out and fighting with him."

Raven nodded. Robin was a complex guy. This complexity was what drew them together. Raven looked at the fire, as if to see what Robin found so fascinating about it. Raven hated fire, as it reminded her of her father and his firey home. "Thanks.." Robin said, still looking at the fire. Raven returned her gaze to Robin's eyes. They were sad, but still looking at the fire. "For listening.."

-------------------------------------------------

Raven stood on the roof's edge of the Gotham art museum, staring down at the gothic city. She'd decided to sneak out when Robin went to bed and see the city at night. He was already sad that he couldn't go out and fight crime with the cast on his leg, so she didn't want to tell him she was going on a night time tour of the city – in her usual Titans costume.. just in case. It was past 1am, and as far as Raven was concerned, Bruce was still out on his date too. She stood next to a large concrete gargoyle who had one eye bigger than the other. She was mesmerised by the large gothic statues planted throughout the city. Her favourite so far was the large statue of a man with his arm outstretched, holding up the Gotham bridge. "Why hadn't anyone told me this place was so beautiful.." Raven mumbled to herself in awe.

"I guess Robin didn't want you to move away from Jump City," A familiar distorted voice said behind Raven. She turned around to see the last person she expected to see. "And from him.." Said Red X.

"How did you.." She began, taking a step back from the Titan enemy, but her own shock made her forget the dangerously high ledge behind her and she fell. The high pitched shrill of Raven's scream filled the air.

------------------------------

Robin awoke to the sounds of yelling. It took a few moments for Robin to awaken properly. He could hear the yelling more clearly now. It was Bruce yelling for Raven. Now _that_ caught Robin's attention. One, Bruce didn't yell at home unless something was wrong, and two, why would he be calling Raven with such urgency. Robin reached over for his crutches and got out of bed as fast as a full-legged cast would allow him. He opened his bedroom door and saw Bruce running down the hallway to Raven's room. Bruce was holding a newspaper as he entered Raven's room. "Raven!" Bruce called out, walking out of her room. "Where are you!?"

Robin hobbled out into the hallway. "What's wrong?"

Bruce didn't reply, but showed Robin the front page of the newspaper that arrived that morning. It was a picture of Raven in the arms of a familiar enemy, and she was smiling! "Red X!" Robin exclaimed. "What the hell!?"

Bruce watched in surprise as his apprentice ripped the paper from his hands to get a closer look at the picture. "You know this guy? Is he good or bad? And what's Raven doing with him?" Bruce asked.

Robin stared at the picture, ignoring Bruce's question for the moment. What he saw made his blood boil. It showed Raven and Red X standing in the middle of a crowded street. People stood all around them, admiring them, with a few people holding up their mobile phones to take photos. Red X had his arm around Raven's waist. Raven was looking up at Red X with drunken eyes and a big flirtatious smile on her face. "This isn't like Raven," Robin said to himself. 'Especially not with me,' he thought. He'd never seen Raven look at someone with such a loving smile and half-lidded eyes. Even when she and Starfire oogled over Aqualad she didn't look like that. Robin couldn't stop staring at the paper. He let Red X go last year and now look what happened. Red X was a mystery to Robin. The combat skills and tactics of Red X were almost identical to Robin's, and it drove him nuts. And now, Raven was in the arms of Robin's evil-twin, so to say. "If I didn't let him go, this would never have happened!" Robin growled as he crumpled up the paper and threw it across the hall.

Bruce watched the crumpled newspaper fly down the staircase that he had just ran up while looking for Raven. "Richard.. what aren't you telling me?" Bruce asked, suspicious and also worried about Robin's actions.

If Robin had the use of both his legs, he would have stormed off to go find Raven on his own. However, such an escape wasn't possible. "Let's just say that he's a handful," Robin replied and then went to explain to Bruce the whole story.

As Robin was telling the story, Alfred walked up the large marble staircase, holding the crumpled newspaper, and stepped into the hallway the duo were standing in. He also listened to Robin's story. After Robin was finished, Alfred but in, "Miss Raven is in the drawing room.. sleeping.."

Bruce ran down to the drawing room, leaving Robin behind to hobble slowly down the stairs with Alfred's help. Robin was pissed off. First he was pissed off that Bruce had left him behind to go see _Robin_'s best friend and secondly, Robin was practically boiling over the juicy picture spread all over the front page! Not to mention the headline on the front page! 'New Hero Saves Damsel From Grizzly Fall'. Robin didn't like that headline. 'That doesn't sound right. Raven can fly..' Robin tried to play out all kinds of scenarios in his head, but none of them could explain why Robin would be in Red X's arms.. And smiling none the less! 'And since when has he started to act like a frick'n hero!' After a few minutes, Robin finally made it to the drawing room, with Alfred holding the door open. Robin half expected Bruce to be grilling Raven with questions when he got there, but surprisingly, Bruce was waiting in the drawing room, standing in front of the couch that Raven was sleeping on. Robin made his way into the room and to the offending couch. Raven was in her titans uniform, using her cape as a blanket. She had a faint smile on her face as she slept. It was the first time Robin had watched her sleep. She normally never let anyone into her room, so times like this when Raven was placid and showed her innocence was a new experience to the boy wonder. Robin looked up at his mentor. Bruce was still looking at Raven. "I decided to wait until you got here, because you know more about this Red X, and because Raven is your friend."

Robin nodded. Bruce was right. Robin needed to be there when they grill her about the newspaper cover. Robin bent down and placed his hand on Raven's shoulder. He shook her lightly, calling her name. "Raven.. Raven, wake up.."

The faint smile on Raven's face grew into a grin as she slowly awoke. She was definitely in a good mood. 'This is not like the Raven I know..' Raven's violet eyes opened and stared up at Robin. "Boy Blunder!" Raven squealed as she reached up and hugged Robin. The weight of her arms around his neck, pulling him down, forced Robin to land on the couch next to her. His erect leg hit the coffee table as the rest of him landed on the couch.

Robin yelped in pain as his cast hit the table, and Bruce ran to his aid. Bruce grabbed Robin's leg and helped the young man put his leg on top of the footstool that sat next to the couch. Raven seemed oblivious to Robin's pain as she continued to hug him. "Good morning, Richard!" Raven greeted cheerily, continuing to hug her friend. It was the most affectionate that Raven had ever been.. ever! Robin managed to wrench Raven's arms free of his neck. Raven came across a drugged.. or something.

"Are you okay, Raven?" Robin asked.

Raven nodded and rested her legs on top of Robin's lap, now that he'd taken up her couch space. "I'm better than fine! I had such a fantastic night!"

Bruce watched the odd interactions between Robin and Raven. "Yeah.. We noticed," he commented. Alfred handed Bruce the crumpled up newspaper that Robin had previously thrown. Bruce flattened it back out and showed Raven the front page. When she saw it, she practically drooled over the picture. The three men noticed the lamp on the small stand next to Alfred suddenly become engulfed in black energy.

Raven's eyes lit up at the sight of the paper. Her excitement caused the lamp next to Alfred to explode. The poor old man was forced to run across the room to escape the mini blast. "Oh! Red X!" Raven squealed as she leaped for the picture, not even noticing the exploding lamp. Bruce moved the newspaper out of Raven's path and she was left standing next to Bruce with a frown on her face. "But he's so pretty..." She complained, being left without the picture.

Robin couldn't really do more than sit on the couch, and brace for the impact of the exploding lamp with his arms. He couldn't move away since his crutches went flying when Raven latched her arms around his neck. "What happened last night, Raven!?" Robin spat out at her. He was pissed off at seeing Raven oogle over Red X and he knew these actions were nothing like Raven. Raven would never let her powers get the better of her.

Raven smiled sweetly at Bruce and Robin. "Last night, I went out to check out the city. Red X surprised me and I fell off the building. Red X saved me and then there was this pink shiny stuff.. He's such a gentleman, don't you think?" Raven smiled lovingly.

Robin stood up off the couch, leaning only on his right leg. "No.. I don't.." Robin crossed his arms. "He's the enemy!"

"You're just jealous!" Raven said angrily. "You can't handle that he likes me and saved me from falling off a building!"

Robin was about to answer back with a snide comment, and Bruce knew Robin well enough to see it coming. He held out his hand out defensively at Robin. "Back off," he warned. "Raven, come with me to the batcave," Bruce ordered. Raven sighed and followed Bruce out of the room with a bounce in her step and a humming tune on her lips.

Alfred, dusting the lamp shards off his suit, walked back towards Robin to pick up the young man's crutches. "I can understand your frustration, Master Grayson," Alfred began, handing Robin his crutches. "But I do believe Master Bruce has an idea of why Miss Raven is acting the way she is."

Robin was hating this. He hated being human. He absolutely HATED this stupid plaster cast on his leg. Why couldn't he have healing powers? Why couldn't Raven just find a healing spell for him anyway? She had so many books in her room, didn't she have healing spells anywhere? Then again, no one in their team had ever been injured enough to need strong healing spells. Moving around the mansion on crutches all morning made Robin's leg throb. In all the excitement that morning, he'd forgotten to take his pain medication. "Not far now, Master Grayson," Alfred commented, walking by Robin's side.

"Who decided to put the batcave on the far side of the house, anyway?" Robin grumbled.

After a few minutes, Robin made it to the batcave. When he got there, he saw Bruce and Raven sitting at the large plasma screen, that had a panel of buttons and mini-screens below it. Bruce appeared to be drawing blood from Raven. "Hey!" Robin called out. "What are you doing to Raven?"

"Easy up," Bruce said calmly. "I'm just taking a sample. It's quite obvious that she' been drugged."

**Author's notes: thanks for reading! lemme know whatcha think!**

**so far this story is just about Robin's life.. totally random for now.. next chapter next week!**


	3. ch3: hidden feelings?

**Author's notes**hey all! Thanks for waiting patiently! I had most of this chapter written but then I stopped because I couldnt figure out what the plot/point of the whole story was! Then I realised – there is no plot! Hahaha! Okay, lemme explain. The whole point of this story is that it's just about the day to day angst of life as a teenager (if you were an injured superhero). Like watching big brother- you never know what'll happen next! Just go with it.. Hahaha!

**Chapter 3: hidden feelings?**

_-Last night- ..What really hap__pened between Raven__ and Red X-_

Raven stood on top of the Gotham Art Museum. She was in awe over how the city was so completely different to that of Jump City. Jump City was full of buildings, bright colours, and sunshine. Gotham had a darker feel to it, even during the day. Godzilla-sized statues filled the city, working their way around buildings, and even some were part of the buildings. Raven was reminded of the time Johnny Rancid turned Jump City into a dark haven. She hated to admit it, but she missed that dimension of Jump City. But Gotham City had a different feel to it. Raven felt.. like she were finally at home.

"Why hadn't anyone told me this place was so beautiful.." Raven mumbled to herself in awe. The warm breeze blew her cape behind her and she felt as if the city were welcoming her into its arms. Raven was startled when she heard a noise from behind her. Someone else was with her on the rooftop.

"I guess Robin didn't want you to move away from Jump City," A familiar distorted voice said behind Raven. She turned around to see the last person she expected to see. "And from him.." Said Red X, with a little added seductive suggestion to his robotic voice. He was holding something in his hand as he walked towards her.

"How did you.." She began, taking a step back from the Titan enemy, but her own shock made her forget the dangerously high ledge behind her and she fell. The high pitched shrill of Raven's scream filled the air. Raven, in all her shock, forgot to fly. She looked up at the building top. Red X had disappeared. Next thing she knew, he'd teleported right in front of her. He quickly dropped a sample of purple dust in her face as he wrapped his other arm around her waist, pulling her close to him. After sprinkling Raven with the pheromone, he used his now empty hand to press the front of his belt. It teleported the two of them to the footpath below, startling passersby.

Raven stood in Red X's arms, still trying to collect her thoughts on what had just happened. Unfortunately, the pheromone was kicking in and it disrupted Raven's logical thinking. Members of the public who witnessed the event were now walking over to the couple, taking photos on their mobiles and talking amongst themselves.

"Are you okay?" Red X asked sincerely.

Raven felt like a cat in heat. She looked up at Red X with lust in her eyes. She acted as if a schoolgirl just caught the attentions of the school football quarterback. "Peachy.." Raven sighed, her cheeks turning pink. She wrapped her arms around Red X, hoping he'd never let her go.

Red X giggled. "That's good to hear.." He replied, pulling Raven's arms off him. A whimper escaped her lips as he did, but he placed his finger under her chin and Raven smiled sweetly at him at his romantic gesture. "Robin doesn't know what he's got right in front of him.." Red X said sweetly at her. "Can I see you again soon?"

Raven nodded, unable to talk as she was in such awe of his drug-induced beauty.

"I look forward to it," Red X replied. Raven wished he'd take the mask off already. He removed his hand from Raven's chin and backed away. "Tell Robin I said hello," he instructed, before pressing the button on his belt and disappearing to places unknown.

Raven stood in the middle of the crowd that had now gathered around her. Drugged or not, she wasn't used to so many people staring at her. She instantly used her powers and teleported herself to the drawing room of Wayne mansion. "I hope I see him again soon.." Raven said to herself. "He's so handsome.." Raven climbed onto the couch like a lazy cat and fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow below.

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"Isn't that the kind of stuff that Ivy used on us?" Robin asked. He and Bruce were looking at the monitor in front of them. Bruce had run an analysis on Raven's blood. Other than some obvious demonic DNA, there was evidence of pheromone dust in Raven's system. Speaking of, Raven was allowed to roam around the batcave, as she hadn't had the time to take a look around yet, while the duo analysed her blood.

Bruce looked across the room and saw Raven looking at the panel of weaponry, "Looks almost identical. It also looks like it's going to wear off soon."

Robin sighed. "Thank _God_! I still remember how crazy _we_ got when Ivy spiked us with it.." he groaned as he changed the channel on one of the smaller screens, to see what was on TV. Hoping that some morning toons would still be on, Robin was disappointed to see a news broadcast outside Gotham museum of art. Even this caught Raven's attentions.

_"Amidst all the hype in this morning's papers, Red X seemed to have the whole city fooled. What we thought was a new hero helping out the city of Gotham, was really a new villain. The masked villain was seen last night with who appears to be 'Raven' from the Teen Titans in Jump City. Onlookers were stunned to find that Red X had saved Raven from falling off the Gotham Observatory. The heroine appeared most thankful for the save. However, Red X had us all fooled as he then robbed three art exhibits by seducing the curators, all women. Authorities believe the use of pheromones to entice the women to his every need is believed to be the cause."_

Raven was looking over Robin's shoulder as they watched the broadcast. Footage from one of the robberies showed Red X throwing pheromone dust on one of the curators. "He's cute.." Raven said.

Robin glared at the footage, knowing full well it was the effect of the pheromones talking.

----------------------------------------

Robin sat at the batcave computer. It had been two days since the Red X incident, and Robin refused to let Raven out of his sight. That even meant, watching Raven as she meditated. He flicked through the computer database, catching up on Batman's actions over the last 4 years. Also, he wanted to see if Red X originated from Gotham City. He had his black mask sitting on the computer panel next to him. He didn't even realise that he'd put it in his pocket that morning. He'd gotten so used to wearing it that if he couldn't wear it, he might as well carry it with him. It had almost become a second skin of sorts.

The large plasma screen lit up suddenly. Alfred had activated the video conference on the plasma screen. "Master Grayson?"

"Yes, Alfred?"

"Your Teen Titans communicator has been ringing for the last 5 minutes. I'm sorry, but I felt the need to answer it. Your friend Cyborg is on the line, may I transfer the call to you?"

This caught Raven's attention and she came out of her meditative state. "Thank you, Alfred! Put him through," Raven instructed.

However, Raven's instructions left no time for Robin to reach for his mask! Robin closed his eyes as he quickly scrambled for his mask and put it on. Before he knew it, Cyborg's face was plastered all over the plasma screen.

"WHASSUP!?" Cyborg greeted.

"Hi, Cyborg!" Robin greeted.

Raven looked over at Robin's mask. "Your eyes are crooked.." She commented. Robin quickly tried to readjust his mask.

"I've been trying to reach you guys for the last 2 hours! And who was that old man who answered the phone!?" Cyborg complained.

Raven smirked and Robin laughed, "It's good to see you too, Cy." Raven replied, not answering Cyborg's question.

"Hey! What about me!?" Beast boy squealed, pushing Cyborg out of view. BB's face now filled the screen. "Where's Raven?!"

"Hi, fluffy," Raven joked stoicly.

"Don't talk to me like that, Miss I-Like-To-Flirt-With-The-Enemy!" Beast boy grumbled. "Pictures of you and Red X are all over the place here! They're saying Raven's left the Titans and gone over to the dark side! And the reporters are all saying this happened two nights ago! Why didn't you tell us about this!?"

Robin rubbed his temples. He'd forgotten about the rest of the team, and he'd forgotten that since the reporters had figured out it was Raven, the footage and pictures would make it all the way to Jump City. "It wasn't that important.." Robin replied.

"Not important!?" Cyborg yelled. Now he and Beat Boy were fighting for space on the screen. "Raven's spotted in the arms of our enemy and it's _nothing!?_"

Raven sighed and uncrossed her arms. She waved them around and said sarcastically, "OOhh.. I'm in love with Red X.. heaven help us.."

"That was not funny at all," Starfire called out. She too was now pushing the other two boys around to try get some space on the screen. Raven sighed and rolled her eyes at Starfire's comment.

"Look guys," Robin, their fearless leader began. "Raven was affected with a pheromone, and that's why she acted like she did."

"We're coming over there!" Cyborg announced.

Robin nearly choked when he heard that. "No! You're needed in Jump City!" He replied, a little too desperately. He wasn't ready to show all the titans his secret identity just yet. "And besides, we'll be back in just over a week anyway!"

"You're damn right we're needed here!" Cyborg yelled. "I had to make a robot Robin to keep the media from thinking you'd left the Titans too!"

"We would very much like to see your home, Robin," Starfire said.

"Something tells me you guys won't like Gotham City," Raven said bluntly. "It looks like my room.""So you're telling me that Gotham City is creepy?" Beast boy asked.

"Yep," Raven replied. "We're both fine. And we'll handle this Red X thing," Raven announced.

"You sure you don't need us there?" Cyborg asked again, just in case.

"We're sure. Talk soon," Robin replied before hanging up. Robin swivelled his chair so that he was facing Raven now. "We need to stop Red X now, before the media starts ruining your reputation," he said.

Raven raised one eyebrow at her friend. "_My_ reputation? I was affected by _pheremones_. According to Alfred, this is nothing new in _this_ house.." She replied, crossing her arms. Robin was busted. Alfred let slip the whole poison ivy saga. Raven was pissed off. "Is someone jealous of Red X?"

This comment was the last thing Robin expected Raven to say. "What!?" He yelled out, almost immediately. "Of course not!"

Raven smiled to herself for catching Robin off guard. She turned and began to walk out of the cave and into the mansion. "That's good to hear.. He does look good in black spandex tho.." She joked as she left. Robin was left behind to ponder in his thoughts.

-----------------------------------

Robin sat in the drawing room, on the couch where Raven had slept only days ago, after the Red X fiasco. It was a warm night, so Robin sat in a pair of baggy basketball shorts and a white t-shirt. He flicked through the channels on the television, not finding anything interesting. Raven was meditating in the batcave again, while Bruce and Alfred worked on the bat mobile, adding extra modifications to it.

He was depressed. The stupid cast on his leg meant he couldn't really do anything except sit around. He couldn't train and he felt like he was losing his ninja skills bit by bit. He couldn't even walk far without the crutches burning into his underarms and hands. Alfred said that he was going to hire a wheelchair for Robin tomorrow, so that he can roll himself around the mansion instead. Robin finally agreed when Alfred 'put away' Robins crutches for two hours (English-speak for 'hid').

Robin, bored with TV, picked up his Titan communicator. He flipped it open and dialled Cyborg's communicator. Within moments, Cyborg's face could be seen on the tiny screen. "Yhello?" He greeted cheerily. The half-cybenetic friend took a better look at his own screen to see who had called him. "Oh, hey Robin. Watsup?"

"Just checking in," Robin replied, trying to sound cheery.

Cyborg could see the look on Robin's face. "You're bored, aren't ya?"

"Busted," Robin let out a nervous giggle. "Raven's off meditating and I can't really do much more than sit on the couch at the moment."

"Well, it's good to see you're finally letting your hair down," Cyborg laughed.

"What' that supposed to mean?"

"You forgot to put your mask on when you dialled me," Cyborg replied. He was right. No wonder Cyborg took a second to see who had called him. Robin was in his own little world when he called Cyborg and forgot to put his mask on. He couldn't go get it now because he'd left it in his room and Cyborg had already seen him now. Robin panicked at making such a stupid mistake. And without his mask on, Cyborg could see it in his eyes. "Don't worry, man," Cyborg reassured. "It's about time we all saw who you really are."

Robin sighed. He wasn't sure what this all meant now. If he started taking off his mask in front of the others, does that mean he'd have to start walking around Titan Tower without it? When would he leave it on? What if a villain unexpectedly raided the tower..? Cyborg could see the anguish on his friend's face. "Don't worry, man." He whispered, "I won't tell Star or BB."

Robin smiled. "Thanks, man. So how's things at the tower?" He could see the garage in the background, so he guessed where Cyborg was, but asked anyway.

"Well, I'm installing a couple of canisters of NOS in the T-car, BB's off playing video games, and Starfire's out at the mall. We all know she has a crush on ya man, but it's really becoming annoying now that you're gone!" Cyborg complained. Robin blushed. Only Cyborg seemed to want to talk about Star's crush on Robin out loud (constantly calling Star 'Robin's girlfriend'). "She keeps walking around, asking when we can call you.. keeps saying how much she misses you.. and she keeps asking if you invited Raven to join you because you have the hotts for Raven.."

Robin almost choked at the last comment. "She thinks.. what!?"

Cyborg raised an eyebrow suspiciously. "So you _do_ have a thing for Raven?"

Robin frowned at his cybernetic friend. "No. We're just friends!" Robin squealed.

Cyborg laughed. "Touchy touchy.. Put Raven on the line, I wanna say hi!"

Robin couldn't be bothered moving off the couch and keeping Cy on the line for 5 mins while he hobbled across the mansion. "Can't you just call _her_ communicator?" Robin asked instead.

Cy pouted. "I _could_.. but she's been standing over your shoulder for the last few seconds.."

Robin turned his head and almost leapt off the couch in surprise. Sure enough, there was Raven leaning over the back of the couch, leaning over Robin's shoulder and watching Cyborg on the communicator. "Holey Torledo's! Robin exclaimed. "When did you get here?" He asked, holding his hand to his heart in shock.

"Holey Torledo's?" CYborg asked over the communicator. "I came in to let you know that Batman's asked me to go patrolling with him tonight," She replied, pointing to her Titan uniform that she was wearing to get her point across. "And apparently we're friends and Starfire's been driving Cyborg crazy over there," Raven explained what she'd heard as she reached over the back of the couch to get the communicator out of Robin's hand. Robin complied and handed Raven the communicator.

"Hi Raven!" Cyborg greeted. "So you're going out with Batman tonight?!" He asked excitedly. Robin crossed his arms. This is how it always was. Batman always trying to outshine Robin. Robin was just thankful for their age differences, so Batman didn't keep trying to steal Robin's girlfriends –not that there ever were lots of them.

-----------------------------

Robin and Alfred were playing chess together. Alfred had been bugging Robin to play with him since he arrived. It was late, and Alfred usually stayed up late when Batman was out roaming the streets of Gotham. Robin understood this years ago when he twisted his ankle in battle and he stayed up with Alfred, playing chess just like tonight. They waited just in case Batman came in injured, or signalled that he needed help.

"Do you usually worry, Alfred?" Robin asked, moving a pawn towards Alfred's knight.

"Hmm?"

"I mean, when Batman goes out to defend the city?"

"Yes. It comes with the job, I guess," Alfred replied. "But then again, I used to worry when _you_ used to go out with him too. How many times did the two of you return with sprains, or damaged vehicles?"

Robin grunted in reply. He was reminiscing. "Now I know how you feel, Alfred," Robin commented.

"How so, Master Dick?"

"Waiting up, not being able to be out there where the action is.." Robin explained. "I never really understood how strong you are."

Alfred snorted as he moved his bishop. "Your leg will heal in time. Don't worry."

Robin smiled and nodded at Alfred's comment. Robin yawned. It was getting late. He looked at his watch. It was more early morning than late. 3am. Just as Robin was about to comment on Alfred's move, the communicator that Alfred had on the seat next to him began to crackle. Batman had activated it on his end. Alfred looked at Robin, then looked at the communicator. He picked it up, knowing that the sudden crackle meant that Batman was going to make contact any second now.

"Alfred," Batman's voice came over the communicator. "We'll be back in a few minutes. Raven's been hit with the pheromone again. Have her room ready for when I bring her in."

Alfred looked at Robin. Robin was always protective of his friends, and the elderly gentleman knew than Robin wouldn't take this news well. "Well, Master Dick," Alfred said, standing up. "Why don't we kill two birds with one stone. I shall greet them in the cave and you prepare Miss Raven's room."

Robin figured he could save himself the grief of hobbling all the way to the cave and then back to Raven's room if he listened to Alfred. So, Robin nodded and the two parted ways. Unfortunately for Robin, he didn't have the wheelchair yet. It would have made things go a lot faster than the step, swing, step, swing, manoeuvres Robin was forced to do as he hobbled to Raven's room. Robin hobbled out of the living room, and across the large marble hallway to the large staircase that led upstairs to the bedrooms. Robin stood at the base of the staircase and cringed when he realised how many stairs he had to climb. "Why couldn't I have flying powers.." Robin sighed as he lent on his crutches and hopped onto the first step with his right leg. "Or a jetpack even," He groaned as he brought his crutches and plastered leg up to greet the rest of him on the first step. "Or even an elevator!" Robin grumbled as he lent on his crutches, yet again, and hopped onto the next step.

When Robin reached the top of the staircase, he paused to rub his palms because leaning on them continuously was starting to give him some serious bruising. Suddenly, the loud bang of the silver closet opening could be heard at the bottom of the stairs. They'd arrived. Robin turned around to see what was happening. He watched as Batman walked in, with Raven in his arms. Robin felt as if his blood were boiling. Raven had that dopey drugged-up grin on her face as she curled herself into Batman's arms. "What the hell happened!?" Robin yelled as he watched them come up the stairs, with Alfred close behind. Robin was pissed. He trusted Bruce to look after Raven, and then she gets hit again with the pheromone.

Batman could barely do much more than glare at Robin under the leather mask. "You need to update me tomorrow on Red X's suit and fighting abilities," He replied, ignoring Robin's question.

"Fine!" Robin yelled back. "So what the hell happened!?" He asked again as Batman, with Raven in arms, walked into Raven's room. Alfred walked around Batman and over to Raven's large four-poster bed. The elderly butler pulled down the black doona cover and then moved over so Batman could sit her down on the bed.

"Raven!" Robin called out as he followed them into the room as fast as his crutches would allow. "Are you okay?"

Raven smiled at her spikey-haired friend. "Super!"

Batman stepped away from the bed. "Get some rest, Raven," he instructed. "You did good tonight." And with that Batman made his way to the door. However, as he passed Robin, he whispered, "We need to have a chat, first thing tomorrow."

Alfred, still standing at Raven's bedside, turned on the lamp on her bedside table and then nodded at Robin and Raven. "I'll leave you two alone to talk," Alfred said as he exited the room, closing the door as he left.

Robin hobbled over to Raven's bed. She was still sitting up, staring lovingly at Robin. "So what happened tonight?" Robin asked. He made his way over to the bed and sat himself down on the edge, his cast hanging off the side of the bed.

Raven smiled at her friend. "Batman took me around the city and I finally got to see the bat signal! Red X was stealing something and we found him on a rooftop. When we fought him, and the next thing I know, he's handing me a present to give you."

Robin looked quizzingly at Raven. "Present?" He asked. He looked down at Raven's hands. She did have one fist closed tight. He shuffled closer to her on the bed to get a better look.

Raven smiled goofily and lifted her closed fist so that it was just below their noses. "Red X is such a nice guy.. He pushed Batman off the roof, but he held me close. He's so sweet. He lifted his mask a little bit, just enough so that he could kiss me." Her voice sounded so light and fluttery when she was drugged.

Robin felt a vein pulsating in his forehead. He hated Raven talking about Red X so lovingly. "He kissed you!?"

Raven nodded. "He's a really good kisser.." She sighed. Robin felt like grabbing Raven by her cape and shaking her. "And then what happened!? What's with this present?!"

Raven looked down at her closed fist then back up into Robin's bright blue eyes. "After we kissed, he said he had a present for you. He said to hold onto it tight until I got home. He said it was a gift for you because you let him go when we saw him in Jump City."

Robin raised an eyebrow. Red X was definitely trying to get at Robin through Raven. "So what' the present?"

Raven smiled and brought her fist closer to her face, and Robin leaned in close also. She had her fist facing upwards, and she slowly opened her fingers. It was a tiny red capsule. Before the two of them had time to process what it was, the tiny capsule exploded and a pink dust enveloped the two Titans.

Robin and Raven coughed at the dust, then looked at each other as if they'd just woken up from a deep sleep. Robin's vision was blurry, and he had to blink hard a few times to clear it. Sitting directly in front of him was Raven. Her hair seemed to shine with the dim lamp light and her purple eyes were staring right back at him. "Raven.." Robin said, reaching up to touch her hair. Something made him want to touch her shiny hair. "You look beautiful."

Raven giggled. "Thanks.. I guess.." She smiled. Her hand reached up to hold the hand Robin had used to touch her hair. "You should have taken your mask off years ago," She whipered. "I can't believe you hid those blue eyes from us.. from me.." She said in the same loving tone she used when she was describing how 'pretty' Red X was.

Robin heard the little voice in his head telling him that things weren't right, and that the capsule was filled with the pheromone, but he didn't care. He shuffled closer to Raven and lifted his free hand to the back of Raven's head. He looked deep into her eyes and saw the same lusting look in her eyes. She was biting her bottom lip. They were both thinking the same thing. They both wanted the same thing. Robin was already half way there, with his hand behind her head. He slowly pulled Raven closer until their lips were barely touching. He felt Raven draw in a quick breath. They were both nervous. Raven was about to say something when Robin finally pulled her closer and their lips finally met.

After that, everything was a daze. Robin unclasped Raven's cape and threw it across the room. Raven brought her hands up to Robin's shoulders and pulled him closer, her chest up against his. Robin couldn't move far with his leg in a cast, hanging off the side of the bed. To ease his awkwardness, Robin pulled Raven onto the bed, on top of him, allowing his plastered leg to lie flat on the bed.

The two of them clawed at each other's clothes with a feverish speed. They both felt as if all walls had been brought down. All inhibitions they had regarding their feelings for one another had died. Robin wanted Raven, and Raven wanted Robin. That's all they knew, and it's all they cared about at this time in space.

-------------------------

_-The next morning-_

Robin felt as if he were waking from a bad hangover. He groaned as he felt something hard pressing into his back. He looked to his left, and saw Raven, her arm pinned under the flat of Robin's back. He then groggily looked down at his body. A black sheet covered the two of them, but memories of a very naked encounter began to come back to him as he slowly woke up. Just to be sure, Robin lifted the sheet, and saw his naked body beneath it, along with one of Raven's legs wrapped around Robin's leg. Her body was pressed up against his own, so as he started to move around, she too began to rouse.

Robin didn't dare move, unsure of Raven's reaction when she awoke. Robin watched as she shifted her head and her lids slowly opened. He watched as she too slowly took in her surroundings. The first thing she saw was Robin looking back at her. "Hey," Robin gingerly greeted her. He continued to watch her eyes as she noticed her naked body was pressed against Robin's. He could tell that the memories had come flooding back when her eyes suddenly widened. Raven looked back up at Robin, her eyes wide with shock.

"What have we done?!"

---------------------------------

**Author's notes:** okay to be fair, I've never been good at writing sex scenes, so I prefer to leave it to the reader's imagination. But don't think that this is ALL! The story is FAR from over and Robin has another 55 days before he gets his cast removed.. and don't think that this is a fluffy fic about him and raven either! Don't forget that they have 1 one more week at wayne manor and then they go back to the titan tower! Dum dum daaah! I love to keep my readers on their toes! Don't forget to review! Feel free to leave opinions! I need story ideas!


	4. ch4: tensions and that damn leg!

**Author's notes:** okay, by pure coincidence, after I posted the last chapter something happened to me (not sex with a friend) but pretty damn close, so now I feel like I can actually write like I know what I'm talking about! While I have Robin and Raven at the mansion, I figure I'm gonna make it as angsty as I can (and draw from real experience) coz it's the perfect opportunity to focus on just the 2 of them.. just wait until they have to go back home!

**Ch4: tensions and that damn leg!**

Robin sat up and looked across the room.. at anything but Raven. "That capsule.." he said. "Red X gave you a capsule with the pheromone."

Robin could see Raven in the corner of his eye. She was looking around the room. "Apparently," She said stoicly. He looked over at her. She wasn't thinking about the capsule, judging by what she'd said. Raven didn't tend to share what she was thinking. And Robin too, wasn't one to talk about relationships, but sleeping together last night wasn't a usual part of Robin's relationship/friendship with Raven.

Robin wasn't sure what to do. He wasn't sure what was going to happen to their relationship, now that they'd had sex. Raven had sat up also, making sure she kept the black bed sheet up against her chest as she did. She was looking around the room, most likely for her clothes. "So.." Robin said nervously. "Now what?" Was all he could think of to say, with his fear of talking about relationships.

Raven, without warning, shuffled off the bed and took the bed sheet with her, wrapping it around her naked body. Robin was left naked and uncovered on the bed. He quickly brought his hands to his groin to cover his bits, and let out a "Hey!"

Raven walked around the room, picking up her cape and leotard. Robin grabbed his pillow and placed it on his lap, in an attempt to keep some dignity. "Raven.." Robin called out, but Raven seemed to be in her own world. "Raven.." Robin called out again. She wasn't listening. She just continued to collect her clothes. "Please, Raven. Can we talk.. about _this_?"

This time Raven turned around and her eyes met with his. "There's nothing to talk about," Raven said. He could see tears welling up in her eyes, and it made Robin's heart ache. Did he do something wrong? Did he say something wrong? This whole situation was just wrong. "You need to go," Raven cried. She blinked and Robin could see the tears flowing down her face. It was an odd thing to see Raven crying, and Robin already knew he didn't like seeing her this way.

"Raven, please.." Robin said, unable to move off the bed. Suddenly, Raven's powers enveloped Robin, his crutches, and his clothes. Next thing Robin knew, he was teleported into his own room. Robin found himself sitting on his own bed, his crutches and clothes on the bed next to him. Robin sighed and began to get dressed as best he could with one leg stuck erect. He started thinking about what had happened last night. He remembered the capsule exploding and he remembered wanting nothing more than to touch and be inside Raven. He remembered feeling her smooth skin against his own, and her breath on his ear as she lay on top of him. Robin wasn't sure what to make of last night, given they were both drugged and all inhibitions had gone out the window. But that little voice inside his head told him he secretly enjoyed his time with Raven.

---------------------------

Robin groaned to himself. He'd just spent the last 10minutes getting dressed and then realised that after last night's sweaty encounter, he really needed a shower. He groaned at himself again for not thinking of it before he got changed. He was thinking too much about Raven and her reaction to the whole encounter. Why was she crying? Had he hurt her without knowing it? Robin hobbled to the adjoining bathroom and sat on the side of the bath tub. Since having the plaster cast put on him, he hadn't been able to have a shower because then the cast would get wet and soggy. He began stripping down again. Once he had, he reached into the bath and wet the sponge with water and soap. As he gave himself a sponge bath, he couldn't stop thinking about Raven.

Sure, they forced their relationship into something they never really planned to do, especially under a situation like it was. All he could think about were the motions they went thru, the words that were said, and the sounds that were made. He remembered telling Raven that she was beautiful. "But was it all real? Or just something that damn pheromone did to us?"

-------------------------------

Robin was arguing with Bruce.. again.. and as per usual. This time it was about Red X. They were in the bat cave and Cyborg was kind enough to email over all the info the Titans had on Red X, for Bruce to read over. There was one thing that caused the argument- the fact that Robin had created Red X to begin with.

"And what possessed you to use xenothium to begin with!?" Bruce yelled.

"It was what I needed to get the job done! Any conventional weapons would have told Slade it was me when I tried to get to him!"

"But he still figured it out, Dick!"

"No shit, Sherlock!" Robin yelled back, crossing his arms.

Bruce was furious, "Hey! Don't swear at me like that!"

"Well stop yelling at me just because he kicked your ass! And besides, I think he originated from Gotham city!"

Bruce was taken back by what Robin yelled. "He did not kick my a... Gotham city!? Why would you say that?" His voice quietened down now. Robin had him intrigued, despite the argument at hand.

"How else would he have intimate knowledge of our fighting styles unless he's seen us in action before. And why have we suddenly found him in Gotham after he disappeared from Jump City?"

Bruce pondered about what Robin was suggesting. It was definitely a plausible explanation. "We'll look into it later," Bruce said, his voice returning back to its normal tone. "But we're not finished with this," he warned.

"What's that supposed to mean!?" Robin yelled.

"You know what I mean! You made a stupid mistake that I have to clean up now!" Bruce yelled back. The argument was back on.

"That _YOU_ have to clean up!?" Robin yelled. "Who says _you_ have to clean up anything!?"

Just then, the two heard the sound of someone entering the cave via the silverware closet. It was Raven. No doubt she could hear the argument from outside, in the mansion. They were yelling at the top of their lungs.

Robin was unsure what would happen next because he had yet to talk to Raven since she teleported him out of her room earlier that morning. "Raven.." Robin said.

Raven looked sorry for walking in on such a heated argument.. and for walking into Robin. "Sorry," She said, before backing out of the cave again.

"Raven!" Robin called out, but it was too late. Raven was gone.

Bruce watched the exchange between the two teens. His anger had dissipated. Something wasn't right. He could sense the tension emanating between the two Titans – it didn't take an empath to feel it. "Everything alright?" Bruce asked, this time he was genuine and kind as he asked.

Robin looked up at his mentor. He glared at Bruce. "Yes." He replied angrily, before attempting to hobble off towards the silverware closet where Raven stood only moments earlier.

"What exactly happened last night after Alfred and I left Raven's room?" Bruce said.

Robin was still hobbling to the door. He didn't want to talk about it until he could talk to Raven. "Nothing. We had a disagreement, that's all," Robin lied. He was reaching the silverware closet, and he was glad to get the hell away from this topic of conversation.

"Whatever happened, fix it, Richard," Bruce instructed. "We can't afford to have disagreements in our team."

"Yeah. We can't," Robin grumbled to himself as he left the cave. Bruce was right, and Robin hated to admit that.

-------------------

It had been 3 days since Robin had spoken to Raven. It was also the 9th night at the mansion. They'd be leaving for Jump City in a few days. Raven had gone out to fight crime with Batman for the last few nights. Robin had been moping around the mansion, unable to really do anything other than watch TV and read through Batman's crime files on the cave computer. Batman had invited Robin and Raven to attend a fundraiser with him, which was to raise money to build a new Gotham orphanage, since the last one was recently burnt down. The fundraiser was tonight, and Robin wasn't really in the mood. It meant that Raven would be his unofficial date. And even though they would assume it was just two friends attending a gala together, Robin wasn't really sure if they were even friends anymore.

He needed to do like Bruce had instructed of him. He needed to talk to Raven about all this and figure out if he's still her friend. He couldn't afford for the Titans to break up due to this. "Fuck'n Red X!" Robin growled under his breath. "When I get my hands on him!"

"Get your hands on who?"

Robin swivelled his chair around from the cave computer, to see Raven standing behind him. She was in her Titans uniform again. She seemed to have a preference for it over her civilian clothes. "I.. Er.. Red X," Robin replied.

Raven nodded and began to walk away, towards the spot she'd been using for meditation since arriving at Wayne Manor. She had her usual stoic look, and Robin felt like all her barriers were up, because he couldn't work out what she was thinking. "Raven.." Robin called out quietly. "Do you mind if we talk about.. Us.." He asked hesitantly.

Raven stopped walking and turned around to face him once again. "There's nothing to talk about."

"Yes there is," Robin replied. He didn't want to play this game again with her. And he felt he had to get his words out before she teleported him away again. "I want to know if we're still friends," Robin blurted out without thinking.

Robin's sudden honesty also caught Raven off guard. "Of course we're still friends," Raven said honestly. "It's just.." She looked away, unable to look at him. Even Robin found it hard to talk so openly while looking in her eyes, for fear of seeing her reactions as he spoke. "Things got complicated," Raven replied.

Robin nodded. "I've been thinking about it for the last few days, trying to process it all."

Raven nodded back and crossed her arms. "Same. Can't we just forget it happened?" She asked.

Robin was taken back by Raven's sudden insistence to forget about it all, without even wanting to talk about it. _He_ wanted to talk about it. Were things _that_ horrible and traumatic for her? If it's what Raven wanted to get their friendship back, then he was going to do just that. "Yeah. Okay," He said, unable to help sounding defeated. He never admitted it to himself before, but now that he and Raven had slept together, he admitted that he liked her –more than a teammate should. Would he ever be able to talk to Raven about his feelings towards her now that she wanted to forget the whole thing? He needed to change the subject before things got too wierd again.

"So.. You going to get ready for the gala soon?" Robin asked.

Raven nodded. "Bruce invited Chase to come over early so she can help me get ready." Raven didn't look impressed.

Robin couldn't help but giggle at the thought of Raven sitting unwillingly in a chair as Chase gave Raven pigtails and put bows in her hair. "Don't worry, Chase is pretty gothic herself," Robin reassured her. "I'm sure she won't make you wear pink or anything."

Raven smiled a little. It helped lighten Robin's mood. Conversation seemed good for the two of them, provided it didn't revolve around their sexual encounter.

---------------------------------

"Minister Mason, you've already met Chase Meridian," Bruce introduced. "This is Richard Grayson and his friend Rachel Roth."

Robin remembered why he never attended many fundraisers with Bruce. Even though there were the odd entertaining one, most were filled with old farts with a lot of money, who want to do nothing more than talk business while they show off their trophy wives/girlfriends. Robin cringed every time he was introduced to yet another rich fat-cat that Bruce was in business with.

Raven looked over at Robin. He was wearing a black suit, with a deep blue tie, bringing out the colour of his bright blue eyes. "Are the parties Bruce goes to always like this?"

Robin sighed. "Yeah," He replied. "Sometimes there are people our age here, but a lot of the time they're sons of the rich and are just as stuck up as their parents."

"Surely you're not talking about _all_ of us 'sons of the rich'?" a male voice said to Robin. Robin and Raven looked to their left and saw a young man, around 19 like them, standing in front of them. He had short dark brown hair and a glass of scotch in his hand.

"Jason!?" Robin gasped. "Jason Todd! It can't be!!" Robin laughed as he let go of one of his crutches and wrapped an arm around his old friend. The newcomer also wrapped his free arm around Robin. Raven caught the falling crutch and then stared at the two guys before her.

When Robin broke his hug with the unknown male, Raven handed back the crutch. "Thanks," Robin said as he took the crutch from Raven. "Jason, this is Rachel," Robin introduced, making sure he didn't use Raven's real name.

Jason turned to Raven and smiled. "A pleasure to meet you, Rachel," He greeted as he reached for Raven's hand. She couldn't help but blush as he kissed her hand, like a perfect gentleman. "I didn't know Dick had a girlfriend."

Raven blushed even harder, given her current circumstances regarding her 'relationship' with Robin. "We're not seeing each other," She said stoicly.

"Easy there, Jason," Robin joked. "Rachel is a friend of mine from Jump City."

Jason smiled and nodded at the explanation. He had a sudden glisten in his eye, as if something had suddenly occurred to him. "So _that's_ where you disappeared off to when you left Gotham."

Robin giggled. "Er.. Yeah.. I felt it was time to make my own way in life. Not that I'm ungreatful for Bruce's hospitality or anything."

"And what the hell did you do to your leg!" Jason exclaimed, unable to stop looking at the plastered foot sticking out of the bottom of Robin's left pant leg.

"Broke it in a car accident," Robin lied. "Some idiot hit me. But don't worry, you should see the other guy."

Raven wanted to change the subject, in case it let slip that Robin was really crime fighting when it happened. "So how do you two know each other?"

Jason giggled, and Robin smiled. "We met when we were both in the circus together," Robin explained. Even though the two of them never really talked about Robin's past out loud, Raven knew about his days in the circus from the time she read his mind when he was being attacked by an imaginary Slade. "Jason was the ringmaster's son."

"And we also took martial arts classes together, don't forget," Jason smiled as he nudged Robin. "I was always kicking his butt!"

"Ha!" Robin laughed. "Like hell you were!" The two were reminiscing. Raven had never really seen Robin so laid back and happy. It was a pleasant change from the serious and bossy Robin back at Titans Tower. "So what have you been doing with yourself these days?" Robin asked. "You still in the circus business?"

"No," Jason replied. "Dad retired from the circus business years ago, and honestly dude, I left all that right after your parents.." Jason drifted off. They both knew that night was traumatic for Robin. "Anyway, now I'm working in the auction business. I meet rich people at functions such as this, and they hire me to buy and sell items for them at auction houses. You know these types, they never do anything for themselves, so I figured I can make money while buying and selling things that aren't mine."

Robin nodded. "Sounds like fun," he replied.

Jason smiled. "It is." Then suddenly a new song began in the background and Jason tilted his head to hear the new tune. "This song is amazing. Robin, do you mind if I borrow your lovely friend Rachel for a dance?"

Robin turned to Raven. He'd actually never seen her dance before. And with his crutches, he hadn't planned on dancing himself at all tonight. "Um," he said, looking at Raven. "If it's okay with Rachel.."

Raven looked at Jason. "Any friend of Richard's is a friend of mine," Raven gave a small smile to Jason and held her hand out for him to take, accepting his invitation to dance. Robin smiled as he watched his old friend lead Raven to the dance floor and spun her around. He could tell she was nervous, but clearly enjoying herself.

He sat himself down at the nearest table and watched them. He hadn't had a chance to take in what Raven was wearing. Chase was definitely good. She didn't try doll up Raven into someone she's not. Raven was wearing a black, floor-length evening dress, with a split up the side up to her knee. The collar was wide, with the thick straps wrapping around her shoulders. Her purple hair was down, with her fringe pinned to the side, held with a silver diamante brooch. She'd removed the red diamante from her forehead, to help keep her identity secret. She looked beautiful. Robin had always known Raven was one of those girls that was beautiful without trying to be loud and colourful. She was dark, and pretty much the polar opposite to Starfire. Robin had always been attracted to girls like Starfire his whole life, but now, especially since the pheromone affected him, he'd begun to look at Raven in a whole new light. He wanted to tell her she looked nice, but he was scared that since their relationship suddenly got complicated, he would scare her off.

Robin looked around the room. He spotted Bruce and Chase talking to Commissioner Gordon. The man had aged a lot since Robin saw him last. The stress of trying to keep Gotham safe must be getting to the old man. Chase turned her head and saw Robin staring at them. She turned back to Bruce and the Commissioner and excused herself before walking over to where Robin was sitting.

"Where's your friend?" Chase asked, sitting herself down next to Robin.

Robin pointed out at the dance floor and Chase saw Raven smiling and dancing with Jason Todd. "I can't exactly dance, so that shouldn't stop _her_ from having a good time.

Chase nodded. "She looks beautiful," Chase commented.

Robin nodded. "Thanks for helping her with her dress and getting ready," Robin replied.

A sly grin appeared on Chase's ruby red lips. "It's a pity you hurt your leg, Richard," Chase said. "I'd much rather see _you_ dancing out there with her." Chase was waiting for Robin to freak out with a defensive reply, but to her amazement, Robin just kept staring at Raven and Jason out on the dance floor. Jason was now making goofy dance moves and Raven was giggling. "Why don't you tell her how you feel?" Chase asked. This time Robin turned to look at her.

"I can't... It's complicated."

Chase placed her hand on Robin's shoulder. "Is it because she doesn't know what you normally do after hours?" Chase asked, knowing full well that Bruce and Robin don't exactly advertise that they're crime fighters.

"No," Robin looked back at the dance floor. "She knows. I'm surprised that Bruce didn't tell you that she's really my team mate, Raven."

Chase smiled. "He told me," she replied. "I didn't want to advertise that I knew." Chase and Robin noticed Raven and Jason returning from the dance floor and heading towards them. "Don't wait forever, Richard," Chase whispered. "Because it looks like your friend Jason has his eye on her." Chase then stood up and left Robin alone at the table again.

"It's too bad you hurt your leg, Dick," Jason laughed as he and Raven returned. Raven sat down next to Robin, while Jason continued to stand. "Because your friend Raven is an amazing dancer!"

This name-drop was not lost on Robin and Raven. "Raven?" They both repeated in unison.

Jason smiled. "Yeah. You didn't think I was stupid enough not to recognise Jump City's hottest heroine, who's face was also plastered all over the Gotham papers a week ago."

Robin and Raven looked at each other. Robin figured it was bound to happen, since Raven never wore a mask. The two Titans were speechless. They turned back to Jason and he had a grin on his face from ear to ear. "Don't looked so surprised, Robin," Jason said snidely. "It's not that hard to figure out who _you_ are too, with the sudden injury and your arrival to Gotham with a fellow Titan."

Robin's jaw dropped. "You.. You know?!" He stuttered. "You haven't told anyone have you?"

Jason shook his head. "And give up the greatest secret of Gotham and Jump City for free? Not a chance," Jason replied. "And besides, we go way back. It wouldn't be fair to betray an old friend."

Raven stood up. "Hang on," She said, suddenly sensing that something was not right. "Your voice.. It's sounded so familiar.." Raven commented.

"It should," Jason said, deepening his voice and wrapping his arm around her. "I'm surprised the two of you haven't figured it out yet. How _was_ that parting gift gave to the two of you?"

Then it clicked. "YOU!?!" Robin growled. "You're Red X?!"

Raven pushed Jason off her. "You're the one who kissed me?! You're the one who gave me that stupid pheromone tablet!?"

Jason smiled evilly. "Guilty as charged. I was just trying to have some fun with an old friend!"

Robin felt his blood boil. He grabbed his crutches and stood up. He glared at Jason. "Raven," Robin growled under his breath. "Teleport him and us back to the Tower," Robin instructed.

Raven nodded and raised her hands, ready to cast her spell. Jason raised his hands defensively. "Okay, you got me. But then again, no you don't." Jason lowered his hand to his belt buckle. Sure enough it was similar to the Red X teleportation button. "Raven," Jason said in his suave voice, "Hope to see _you_ soon." Jason then winked suggestively at Raven.

Jason pressed his hand to the buckle/button and Robin tried to lunge at him as best he could with only one working leg. But he was too late. Jason/Red X had teleported out of the room, and poor Raven was left to catch Robin before he fell on his face.

--------------

**Author's notes: **OOH! I tell ya, having my car in the shop for a week really left me nothing else to do but write! I've been wanting to write this chapter for a while now, and im hoping it turned out as good as I hoped! But that's up to you guys- lemme no whatcha think! Did anyone guess Jason was red X? I left enough clues! Did u pick up that bit where Jason came to a sudden realisation of something? That was supposed to be the moment when he realised Richard was indeed Robin! You all wanted more Red X, so I gave him to ya! But don't think that's all from the Sexy villain! He'll be reappearing in later chapters to cause more havoc! Two more chapters at Wayne Manor and then back to Titan Tower!

Regarding Jason Todd, I got the idea from wikkipaedia when I was searching who red x might be, I hope no one minds! I didn't even know who this Jason todd dude was until I read this!


	5. ch5: i just want to go home

**Author's notes: **okay folks, three more days at Wayne Mansion, and then Robin and Raven are heading home to Titan Tower!! But when they get home, Robin's still got 1 month 'til he gets the cast removed. (and yes, it's still 60days without his leg if you count the 2 weeks of rehabilitation). If you think things got interesting with just 2 titans, just wait until they get home! Okay, this chapter and the next are going to be about their last days at Wayne manor. Don't forget to review and give me your ideas and what you like/hate! I need to know what the readers think! And now for chapter 5!

**Ch5: I just want to go home..**

"Robin.. Robin, wait!" Raven called out. Right after Jason teleported away, Robin ordered Raven to teleport them back to the Bat cave so that they avoid making a scene at the party. Once they'd arrived at the tower, Robin began hobbling away, towards the cave computer. Raven got annoyed that Robin was ignoring her. "Hey!" Raven called out again. "Talk to me, Robin!" She yelled at him.

Robin sat down at the computer. "There's nothing to talk about," he replied stoically. He began pressing buttons on the computer, completely in his own world. Robin was in the zone again. He didn't even realise that this scene seemed to parallel that which the two of them had only days ago. Before, Robin was trying to talk to Raven but she wasn't listening. Today it was the opposite. Raven was glad Robin didn't have the power to teleport her out of the room like she did to him. She now felt bad for Robin, realising what a cold move it was on her part when she ported him away that morning, days ago.

Raven gave up talking to Robin. Instead, she followed him to the cave computer. She knew what he was like. The bad guys always came first. He'd sat himself down and placed his crutches against the panel next to him. Raven stood behind him. "Shouldn't we tell Bruce that we're here?" She asked. Robin didn't reply, as he typed on the keyboard. Moments later, he replied by taking one hand off the keyboard and reached into his pocket. He pulled out the red mobile phone and handed it to Raven. After she took it, Robin returned to typing on the keyboard with both hands.

Raven sighed and flipped open the mobile phone. She scrolled down to the messaging function and sent a message to Bruce;

_Red X knows who we are. He approached us at the party. We're home now._

Raven then sent the message and placed the mobile on the counter top next to where Robin was sitting. "Are you going to let the other Titans know?" She asked. Robin was bringing up the existing file on Red X and was updating it. He wasn't listening. This was really getting on Raven's nerves.

"HEY!" Raven yelled. She grabbed the back of Robin's desk chair and spun him around to face her. "Stop ignoring me!" She growled, leaning in closer to him to emphasise her point. Her eyes had changed. There were now 4 red eyes glaring down at Robin. She was really pissed off. Robin took the hint.

"Sorry," Robin apologised. "I just have a lot to do."

"Robin," Raven said back in her stoic voice, "I know your identity as Dick Grayson is important to you," She explained. "But this Red X thing involves both of us."

Robin understood what Raven meant, but he was pissed off and felt like starting an argument. If only he knew it was one he was going to regret. "Damn right, this Red X thing involves us both. But when I wanted to talk about it, you teleported me back to my room," Robin grumbled like a child before swivelling his chair towards the computer panel once again.

His tiny victory was short-lived, as Raven grabbed his chair once more and spun him around to face her. "Okay, fine!" She yelled, "So, me teleporting you away was rude! But _that's_ not what I meant when I said that this involves the both of us!"

Robin grabbed the armrests of his chair and lifted himself up, so that his face drew closer to Raven's. He was mad now. This caused Raven to stand upright again and take a step back. "Then what _did_ you mean?!" Robin yelled back.

"I meant that your secret identity being out in the open and how it'll affect you, me, Bruce and the Titans if Jason lets the secret slip!"

Robin sat himself back down in his chair. He understood what Raven meant, but he was hurt that she was still avoiding talking about the two of them sleeping together. "Call Cyborg," Robin replied, spinning his chair back towards the computer panel. She could hear he was still angry, but Robin's voice had toned down enough to sound civil.

"What for?" Raven asked, unsure of Robin's intentions.

"Damage control," He replied bluntly as he continued to type in Red X's file on the computer.

Raven nodded and dialled on the video phone. "You got your mask?" She asked as she transferred the call to the large screen in front of them. Robin reached in his pocket for his mask. He placed it over his eyes and waited for Cyborg to answer his communicator.

------------------------

It was almost an hour before Bruce arrived at the mansion with Alfred and Chase Meridian. Robin and Raven only knew they'd arrived when Bruce came storming into the cave. "Dick!" Bruce called out, "You in here?"

"At the computer!" Robin called out, grabbing the attention of his former guardian.

Bruce's footsteps thundered throughout the cave as he stomped angrily over to Robin and Raven. Chase and Alfred were trailing behind, with a much more quieter and calmer pace. "What the hell happened?!" He yelled.

Robin went on to explain the events that occurred at the fundraiser. Hearing the seriousness of what was happening, Alfred took Chase home, as the others were in for a long night.

"We have to go out and find him," Raven commented, after Robin gave his explanation of the night.

"Agreed," Bruce commented. He walked across the long steel-mesh boardwalk into the adjoining room where he kept his Bat-suits.

"I've already informed the rest of the Titans," Robin called out, "And Cyborg's informing the Titans East also. They're all on the lookout for him, in case he decides to leave Gotham."

Bruce stuck his head out from the other room. His bare shoulders were a clear indication that he was already changing into his suit. "What did you tell them, _exactly?_" Bruce asked, holding onto his secret identity with desperation.

Robin frowned at Bruce's comment. How dare he think Robin would just go telling every superhero he met who his and Batman's secret identities were! "I told them that Red X has some valuable info that we need and he needs to be caught as soon as possible."

Bruce nodded, satisfied with this explanation and continued to get changed. Robin noticed Raven moving in the corner of his eye and when he turned to look at her, she'd used her powers and was now wearing her Titan's uniform.

"I'm coming with you guys this time," Robin announced.

Laughter could be heard from where Bruce was getting changed. "Not likely!" He laughed. Robin crossed his arms and grumbled. Bruce was mocking him. "And how do you propose you are going to gallivant around the city.." Bruce emerged in his bat-gear, with his mask under his arm, "With _that_ on your leg?" He asked, looking at Robin's plastered leg. Robin didn't answer. He was angry because he knew Bruce was right. He _wanted_ to go, but couldn't.

"Can't you monitor us from here or something?" Raven asked. "With all this high-tech stuff, you've got to have camera's positioned around the city.."

Bruce nodded. "Good idea, Raven," he commended. He then turned to Robin. "Go put on something more comfortable, Dick," Bruce instructed. "Because I want you to man this station until we get back. Monitor the city from here and let us know if you find anything. We'll go into the city and try find him the old fashioned way," Bruce smiled at Raven and she nodded back at him. Robin couldn't help but feel jealous that Raven had turned into Batman's little sidekick for the last 10 days. Robin didn't like feeling replaced. Not one bit.

----------------

Robin sat uncomfortably at the cave computer. Just as Batman instructed, Robin changed into his large red basketball shorts and black T-shirt. His leg was propped up on the console that he sat in front of. He leaned back in his desk chair, the keyboard in his lap. Shortly after Batman and Raven left the cave, Alfred had returned. He joined Robin and used the computers to search the city for Red X.

"I remember when Mr Todd came to visit you here," Alfred began. "He was the only friend who came to visit you here after your parents passed away."

Robin continued to stare at the screen in front of him. "Yeah," he sighed softly. He was still processing the fact that his childhood friend was his enemy now. But then again, looking back, Robin realised that Jason Todd always _was_ his alter-ego in a way. Jason was the rebel, while Robin was the do-gooder. They were Ying and Yang. One good, one bad. Robin was kicking himself for not seeing it sooner. He tried to stop beating himself up, and tried to concentrate on finding Red X. The screen before him had been divided into 12 smaller screens, showing different angles of Gotham City. "Back then, he was my best friend."

Alfred pressed a few more buttons on his own keyboard and the camera angles changed. "Miss Meridian explained that at the fundraiser, your friend appeared quite pleasant.."

Robin sighed. He rearranged in his seat to make himself more comfortable. No matter what position he sat in, his plastered leg seemed to make sitting difficult. "Until he gave away who he was, it felt like old times with Jason," Robin explained. "Looking back, I don't think he figured it out until he saw my leg. I mean, he may have recognised Raven, but didn't figure out that I'm Robin until he realised my broken leg coincided with the news broadcast the other week."

Alfred nodded. "Maybe we should have given Miss Raven a more fitting disguise. Next time I shall purchase a wig for her."

Robin snorted at the idea of Raven wearing a bright blonde wig and a trench coat as a disguise. "It's too late for all that now though," He commented. "We're heading back to Jump City in a few days."

Alfred nodded. "It has been good having you back here with us, even if only for two weeks."

Alfred retired to his bed after a couple of hours, but Robin was up all night, waiting for the others to return.

Batman and Raven had searched Jason Todd's apartment and found nothing. They'd scoured the city and found nothing. Back in the Batcave, Robin found the same nothing on the security cameras, and there were no reports of burglaries. Robin's eyes felt heavy. He'd been staring at the screen for hours. It was just after 5am when Raven and Batman returned to the cave.

"Welcome back," Robin said drowsily. Raven and Batman had been moving around all night, so they were still awake and alert when they returned. Robin however, was sitting and staring at boring security cameras all night and found it hard to stay awake.

Bruce walked over to Robin and placed his hand on the young man's shoulder. "You may not have been able to come with us, but you did good."

Robin nodded, but he was preoccupied with yawning and fighting to keep his eyes open. Bruce smiled at his young apprentice. Robin was just like him. Even when injured he'd do the best he could to get the bad guy. Bruce turned to Raven. "Can you teleport him to his room? In the condition he's in, I don't want him attempting to climb the staircase with his crutches."

Raven nodded. It made sense. Poor Robin would probably pass out on the second step in the condition he was in. Raven walked over to Robin and placed her hand on his. Within moments, the two of them had teleported into Robin's room.

Raven helped Robin to his bed. She pulled away the cover and helped Robin sit on the bed. He instinctively lay down on the cushiony surface. He smiled up at her, drowsily. "Thanks, Raven," he yawned.

Raven nodded at him and placed a pillow under his broken leg. "Anything else you need?"

Robin shook his head and Raven began to walk to the door. Just as she reached it, she heard Robin say softly, "You looked beautiful tonight." Raven stopped and turned to her spikey-haired friend. "I'm sorry I wasn't able to dance with you."

Raven blushed. Did he even know what he was saying in his half-asleep stupor? "It's okay. You've got a broken leg."

Robin nodded. "But my mouth's not broken. I should have told you earlier," Robin replied, rolling on his side to get more comfortable.

Raven could see his eyes closing, fighting to stay open. "Night, Boy Blunder," She whispered before turning off the light and leaving her friend to sleep.

Robin would have no memory of this conversation with Raven. His mind was already in the beginning stages of sleep when she lay him on his bed.

-------------------

When Robin awoke, it was around midday. His stomach was grumbling and he was dying for some of Alfred's delicious pancakes. He sat up in bed. He tried to remember how he actually got to bed last night, given that his crutches weren't in his room. The last thing he remembered was Batman and Raven coming back home and Batman saying something to Robin, but he couldn't really remember what it was or anything after that.

He rubbed his eyes and looked around the room. He didn't want to crawl to the kitchen. Thankfully, the wheelchair Alfred had hired was sitting in the corner of the room.. at least 12 feet from Robin's bed. The young man groaned as he slowly slid off the side of the bed. He was now sitting on the cold floorboard floor. The wheelchair was staring at him from across the room. "Why couldn't I have powers that let me fly over there?" Robin grumbled. He felt like such an idiot as he shuffled on his bum and turned around, so that his back was to the wheelchair. Then, using his hands and one working leg, he slid himself across the floor, bit by bit, until he reached the chair.

"Thank-you, Alfred," Robin sighed as he finally got into the chair and lifted off the brakes. Breakfast time! Robin wheeled the chair and sighed in relief as it glided across the room toward the door with ease. He was thankful for not having sore hands and bruised underarms as the chair glided all the way to the door with one push of the wheels. Opening the door took a bit of time and manoeuvring, but Robin was out of the room and could almost smell the pancakes as he.. realised he had to somehow get down the massive flight of stairs to get to the kitchen! Robin's eyes almost leapt from his head as he stared down the large marble staircase. How could he have forgotten about those blasted stairs as he shuffled to the wheelchair?

Robin assessed the situation, when he got an idea. "I wonder.." Robin asked himself as he stared down the large staircase. He could easily control motorbikes, aircraft, and even a skateboard with ease. But he'd never had to master a wheelchair.. down a flight of stairs. "I can do this.." Robin said to himself, psyching himself up and taking a deep breath. He rolled the chair backwards, to give himself a run-up (or roll up, more like it). He took another deep breath and leaned forward, ready to launch himself and the wheelchair, when suddenly..

"Don't even think about it, young man!" Came Alfred's English accent from the bottom of the stairs. He'd emerged from the silverware closet at the base of the stairs in time to see Robin ready to go Jackass down the staircase. It was then that Robin saw Alfred clutching to Robin's crutches. He'd obviously just come from the batcave, where Robin saw his crutches last.

"Morning, Alfred," Robin giggled nervously. "Busted, huh?" He said, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment.

"Busted is correct," Alfred replied with a smile as he walked up the stairs towards Robin. "Given your history, I thought you'd probably try sliding down the handrail instead of trying to break the sound barrier," Alfred joked.

Robin laughed at the vision Alfred had given him. Robin _did_ look like he were about to launch off the top of the stairs at a furious speed. Alfred reached the top of the stairs and handed Robin his crutches, which he took. Alfred helped Robin out of the wheelchair. "So why didn't you call for assistance?" Alfred asked. "Then again, I should already know the answer to that question." Alfred was right. Many times he'd caught Bruce and Dick trying to do things beyond their capability while injured. It was their way. Both men were stubborn and arrogant.

"How'd I get to bed without my crutches?" Robin asked.

"I do believe Miss Raven had teleported you to your room."

Robin let out a 'hmm' in response. Made sense. "So where is everyone?" Robin asked, as he and Alfred made their way safely down the stairs. Robin's descent was now a slow and steady one, with the use of his crutches.

"Master Bruce has gone to work," Alfred explained. "Though I think he plans on using his time to try locate our friend, Mr Todd."

Robin snorted. "Yeah, I guess Bruce has figured out that it doesn't take a genius to realise that if I'm Robin, then Bruce is Batman.."

"Indeed," Alfred replied. "Master Bruce has a lot more to lose if people find out what he does at night."

Robin nodded. "So where's Raven?"

"Miss Raven has taken a trip down to the Art Museum."

"I guess with all the excitement here, she hasn't had much time to properly tour Gotham, huh?" Robin commented.

"So she hasn't told you?" Alfred asked. When he saw the blank stare coming from Robin's face, he quickly continued with, "That she was going to ask you to come with her, but she felt you might need more sleep."

"Oh," Robin replied. They were almost at the bottom of the stairs now. Robin was doomed to spend yet another day alone at the mansion. He couldn't wait to get home. Home was two more days away.

"Would you care for some pancakes, Master Dick?" Alfred asked as they reached the ground level.

Robin smiled from ear to ear. His blue eyes lit up. "You read my mind!"

-----------------------

Robin had spent the day seated at the cave computer. He needed to do all he could to try find his old friend, Jason, before heading home to Jump City. Robin had tried all the obvious things, like calling Jason's mobile phone number, calling in at all the auction houses where he said he worked and checked in with the rest of the Titans to see if they'd found him yet. It was as if Jason Todd, a.k.a Red X, had fallen off the radar. And it was aggravating Robin. Robin hated to lose. Everyone knew that. He was so caught up in his own little 'Where in the world is Jason Todd', that he didn't even notice Raven entering the batcave.

"Hey," Raven greeted.

Robin almost jumped out of his seat in shock. "Hey!" he turned his chair around to face Raven. "How was the art museum?" he asked enthusiastically. He knew Raven was into all that and he wanted her to have a good time while in Gotham City.

Raven smiled back, and before she even said anything, he knew she'd had a good time. "It was fantastic. Gotham City is amazing. It makes me feel so at home," She smiled sadly.

Robin nodded. He understood that Gotham and Raven go hand in hand. Robin figured that's why he loved having Raven as a friend. The Gothic girl always did remind him of his old home, Gotham city. She was dark, brooding and temperamental. But she had a good side that was beautiful and unique. It was the same for Gotham city. "I hope you get as much sightseeing as you can in the next two days," Robin commented, "Because after that, we're going back to Jump City." Robin sighed. "I don't know about you, but I'm already missing the Tower and the others.

Raven's face suddenly dimmed and her smile disappeared. Something Robin had said affected her. Robin's face changed also, to that of confusion at the sight of Raven's reaction. "See, that's the thing," Raven said softly. She put one hand on Robin's shoulder. "Bruce asked me to stay here.." She whispered, "With him, to help keep Gotham City safe.."

Robin's jaw dropped wide open with shock. How had he not seen this coming?! How could Bruce do this to him?! He placed his hand atop of Raven's, but she suddenly moved it away. "Raven.." Robin said softly.

Raven looked away from Robin, as if ashamed of what she was saying. "And I said yes.." She whispered, a tear falling down her face.

**Author's notes:** Okay, CLIFFHANGER! Ahhaha even I know they're evil but I was really looking forward to writing this last scene, even if it _was_ short! I have ideas on what's going to happen next, but I'm not sure yet if Raven's gonna stay in Gotham or go home... But I'm gona sleep on it and get cracking on the new chapter tomorrow! YAY! Also, uni starts on Monday, so the next chapter might be just over a week away. Sorry! But don't forget to review!


	6. ch6: is it 'Goodbye Raven?

**Author's notes:** Okay I know the cliffhanger was very evil, but when Raven's feeling so at home at Gotham, why would she wanna return to sunny Jump City?? And I laughed at the threats of people wanting to boycott my story if raven stays.. but if things came easy, it wouldn't be a true story about life. Also believe it or not, I sprained my right hand, which has made it all the more harder to type!

**Ch6: Is it 'Goodbye Raven'??**

Robin stared at Raven, his jaw wide open. Raven had decided to stay in Gotham? He was flabbergasted! "Raven?" Robin asked, "When? Why? I don't understand!" Then it suddenly dawned on him. Alfred had almost let the news slip that morning when they were walking down the stairs together when he said 'So she hasn't told you?'

Raven wiped the tear that had trickled down her left cheek. "He asked me last night when we were out looking for Red X."

Robin couldn't believe it. Bruce was poaching Raven and keeping her as his own sidekick! He reached towards Raven, but she got up off the console and walked away before his hand could reach hers. "Raven, don't walk away from the Titans.." Robin said softly. He was hurt over Raven's sudden decision. It was painfully obvious in his voice. "We all need you with us."

Raven turned back towards Robin. "This decision hasn't been easy, Robin," She explained. "But I feel like I really fit in here."

"Is that why you're crying?" Robin asked. He didn't totally understand the reasons behind her tears. Was she afraid of Robin's reaction to the news? Was she sad about leaving the Titans?

Raven shook her head and hugged herself. "It's a lot of things.." She said softly. "You guys will do fine without me."

Robin couldn't do anything other than sit there and watch Raven. "Are you sure this is what you want?" Robin asked. Raven shrugged. Robin wasn't convinced or Raven's decision. "How about we see how you go for the next two days and when I'm ready to leave, we'll see what you want to do."

"Don't make decisions for me," Raven barked at her friend. Raven was well known for being independent.

"Ha!" Robin laughed. "I'm not making decisions for you, but you'll be in for a real wake up call if you stay here!"

"What the hell's that supposed to mean?" Raven growled at him.

"Why do you think I left here, Raven!?" Robin yelled, his voice echoing throughout the cave. "I hated taking orders and being bossed around!"

Raven crossed her arms and leaned on one hip. "And _you_ don't boss us around at the Tower?"

Raven was making Robin mad now. "With _him_ it's always his way or the highway. There's no compromise!"

Robin was getting worked up over it all. He couldn't afford to lose Raven- both as a teammate and as a friend. And there was also the niggling feeling that maybe there were deeper feelings for the purple-haired girl. When he first met her, she was a young teen, now she was a young and beautiful woman. Robin regretted that it took the stupid pheromone tablet to see it. He couldn't afford to lose her now.

Raven was about to reply to Robin's words when Robin butt in again. "I'm going to find Bruce," He grumbled as he reached for his crutches and stood up. Raven did nothing but watch Robin hobble past her and back into the mansion.

"Robin wait!" Raven called out to him. But Robin kept hobbling away. "Why are you fighting this?!"

This time Robin stopped and turned around to face Raven, hopping around with the help of his crutches. "I'm fighting this because I need you, Raven," Robin replied, in all seriousness. "_We_ need you." Raven seemed to accept this response from Robin and she nodded at him. Robin smiled at Raven and then said to her, "I'll give you two days. If you decide to stay, then I'll accept it.. But _you_ have to tell the others."

Raven nodded. They were finally agreeing on something. "Okay," She replied. Robin was in a better mood, now that he had a small hope in the world that Raven may actually return home with him. He still needed to have a yell at Bruce though.

-----------------------------------------

Robin hobbled back up the marble staircase. He couldn't wait to get home. Titan tower has elevators, so he wouldn't have to climb anymore blasted staircases! "Two more days.. Two more days.." Robin mumbled to himself, spurring himself on to climb the large staircase. When he reached the top, he sighed. He never realised how blessed he was to have two working legs all his life, until now. And now Robin wished that he had taken his Titan communicator with him that morning when he left his room. Robin needed to call the titans for an update on their hunt for Red X.

Robin entered his bedroom and saw the wheelchair parked next to his bedroom door, where Alfred had left it. Robin backed himself into the chair and placed his crutches up against the wall next to the door. He wheeled himself over to his bedside table and picked up his Titan communicator. He also remembered to pick up his mask off the bedside table, which had originally sat next to the communicator. Robin dialled the tower, not really caring who picked up.

"Hello?" It was Starfire who picked up.

"Hey, Star!" Robin greeted.

Star's face lit up when she realised who it was that had called. "Oh! Robin! It is good to talk to you again! I have very much missed your presence here at the Tower!"

Robin nodded back, "Yeah, good to see you too. What's been happening over there?"

Star's smile faded, "We have been searching for our enemy, Red X, but we have found nothing. It is as if he has disappeared from the Earth."

Robin took a deep breath and let it out. This whole Red X thing was frustrating. "It's okay, Star. We'll get him." Robin reassured. Honestly, he was more concerned with having to explain to the Titans why Raven was not returning home with him. "So what are you and the others doing right now?" Robin asked, missing his home.

Star's face lit up again to its usual cheery demeanour. "Beast Boy and Cyborg are currently doing battle in a game of the Foos-ball. I am currently waiting to play the winner of their battle."

Robin laughed. When BB and Cyborg were playing a game together, something always ended up bruised, missing or demolished. As annoying as they got during their 'battles', Robin was really missing it.

"So are you still arriving back at the tower in two days?" Star asked.

Robin nodded. "Yeah, I can't wait to get back there. Everything is too quiet and boring over here."

"Robin.." Star asked.

"Yeah..?"

"Next time you return to the city that is Gotham, may I join you?" She asked, sounding like a child who'd been excluded from a school excursion.

Robin smiled, "Yeah, Star," He replied. "Next time you can come too."

-------------------------------------

Richard Grayson sat in the bleachers. The funeral for his parents and older brother was earlier that day and it seemed only fitting that the wake be held in the centre ring of the circus. Richard had hardly said a word all day. Being only 14, almost 15, at the time, was a very young age to be organising a funeral, so Richard was thankful when the Ringmaster offered to organise it for him.

There were a lot of people talking quietly and eating. Throughout the day, Richard had to listen to a lot of people offering their condolences to him. He'd had enough. He was getting sick of being pitied. He sat by himself, drinking a soda. He just wanted to go home and go to sleep. But that wasn't going to happen. Not anymore. Richard Grayson was now an orphan and the one place he ever called home was also the place where his parents died at the hands of a lunatic.

"Hey."

Richard looked up. His best friend, Jason Todd, was standing over him, offering him another soda. Richard took it. "Thanks."

"Anytime," Jason replied as he sat down on the bleacher next to Richard. "Dad's glad you let him organise the funeral," Jason explained, looking out towards the crowd. "He felt he owed it to you and your parents."

Richard nodded. "That, and Bruce Wayne paid for it all," Richard grumbled, taking a swig of his soda.

Jason giggled. "Hey, if a rich fat cat wanted to pay for _my_ funeral, I say let him pay for it. We're not exactly loaded here. We're just circus performers."

Richard turned to look at his friend, he was angry at being pitied, especially by rich folk. "But he didn't know me or my parents," He grumbled, not loud enough for the other guests to hear. "Just because he happened to be here on the night Two-Face came in, he feels he needs to do this??!"

Jason placed his own soda down, and put and arm around the young man. He was two years older than Richard, and they grew up together in the circus. "Look man, I know you're hurting inside," Jason said empathically. "Remember when my mom died? And I suddenly decided that I wanted to become an acrobat like you. I broke my arm because I decided that doing stupid stunts would help the pain of her death go away."

Richard nodded. He remembered that moment very well. "Yeah. I remember Dad had to explain to me why you were being so reckless. Considering you're always the rebellious one, you _were_ doing stupid stunts."

Jason nodded. "And I'll be rebellious 'til the day I die. But I don't want to see you suddenly doing stupid things like I did." Jason hugged his friend tighter. "Look after yourself, okay?"

Richard nodded. "You make it sound like you're saying goodbye.." Richard said quietly.

Jason took his arm off his young friend and picked up his soda again. "Well, earlier today I heard Bruce Wayne ask you to stay with him."

Richard nodded. "Yeah. But I told him I'm happy where I am."

Jason looked out into the crowd. He spotted Commissioner Gordon talking to his father, the ringmaster. Jason knew that Richard had no idea that the Commissioner was going to have social services take Richard away if a suitable home couldn't be found for the young teen. Richard, however, hadn't been told that he might be placed in a Foster home. Jason had asked his dad if they can take custody of him, and his father replied, 'This may be Richard's home, but I feel it wouldn't be healthy for him to stay here and forever be reminded of what happened'.

Jason turned back to his friend. "What are you talking about?" Jason said, putting on a surprised tone. "This dude can pay for everything you ever wanted! How could you say no to him?"

Richard turned to his friend, clearly not knowing what the Commissioner had planned for him tomorrow. "Because _this_ is my home. I grew up here. Everything and everyone I know is here."

Jason took another drink. "Maybe that's why you should go with Bruce Wayne."

Richard was shocked by his friend's response. "You want me to leave?!" Tears had begun to well in the young man's eyes. His best friend was telling him to leave his home and the circus he grew up in.

"It's not that," Jason said softly. He looked over to the crowd again, his Dad had spotted him and was now coming over. He needed to talk fast to convince his friend to go with Bruce. "Think of the life you can have if you go live with Bruce Wayne. Even if the invitation _was_ a sympathy one, it'll get you a better life than the crummy one you have here." Jason grabbed his friend around the shoulders again and messed up the boy's hair to try raise his spirits. "And besides, you might find a rich, hot girlfriend and you can inherit her millions and save _me_ from this cheap life as well!"

Richard laughed. After that day, the two teens saw each other a few months later, when Jason came to visit. After that, they didn't see each other again.. until a chance meeting at a party five years later.

Now enemies, they planned on seeing each other again... soon.

-------------------------------------

"Dick?"

"Over here," Robin called out. He'd sat himself down in the garage, and was repairing one of his old motorbikes. So that he wouldn't have to keep getting up, he placed the toolbox next to him on the floor, along with his communicator and mask.

Bruce walked over to him, still in his suit from work. "Raven says you're not happy with her decision to stay here."

Robin finished tightening a bolt and put the spanner on the floor next to him. He then looked up at Bruce. "Raven feels at home here, I get that," Robin explained. "But what pissed me off was you always trying to do one better than what I can."

Bruce crossed his arms and stared down at Robin. "Trying to do one better?"

"Yes!" Robin replied, his voice escalating. "I offered Raven a spot as a Titan, and you try to out-do me, by offering to keep her here. You always have to be number one."

"This isn't about trying to be better than you," Bruce replied.

"Yeah," Robin muttered, "Because we already _know_ who's number one around here."

As usual, this got Bruce angry. "Hey! Raven told me how much she loved staying here, so I asked her if she wanted to stay. That's it!"

"So there was no hidden agenda?" Robin asked. "Because you _are_ short one sidekick.."

Bruce smiled back. "There's no hidden agenda. And no, I did not ask Raven to stay to replace you."

Robin got defensive now, "I'm not worried about being replaced!" Robin asked. He noticed that behind Bruce, Raven had entered the room. She was back in her civilian clothes. This didn't stop Robin though.

"Then what is it?" Bruce asked, crossing his arms and smiling at Robin. Robin hated it when he did that. It always meant that Bruce knew something he didn't. Or at least, Bruce _thought_ he knew something Robin didn't.

"You're so good at glamorizing everything here," Robin replied. "Don't forget why I left.." Robin replied.

Bruce laughed. "I remember why you left," he replied, his grin plastered on his face. "But you know you miss it here too."

Before Robin could reply, Raven cleared her throat, gaining the attentions of both men. "Alfred asked me to tell you that dinner is ready."

"Thanks, Raven," Bruce replied. "We'll be right there." Bruce turned to Robin and held his hand out to help Robin up. Robin took it and used his other hand to lean on the motorbike to lift himself off the ground.

Raven by then had left the garage. "Thanks," Robin said as he steadied himself and then backed himself into the wheelchair, with Bruce holding the chair in place.

"I know you care for Raven," Bruce said quietly, in case Raven was still close by. "But if she stays here, it's _her_ choice, not mine."

Robin nodded. Bruce was right.. as usual.

"You know.." Bruce said slyly. "If _you_ ever want to move back here, you're more than welcome."

"I know." Robin laughed. Bruce was now making the situation funny. "You know I'm still young, and I need my independence," Robin said in a know-it-all voice.

Bruce laughed back. "I know. But there's no harm in asking."

--------------------------------------

Robin sat up in bed. It was morning and the birds out the window were chirping louder than usual. It was Spring, so Robin figured there was a nest outside his window with new baby birds. He grabbed his crutches and went over to the bathroom. After he washed his face he looked at himself in the mirror. It was wierd to see bright blue eyes and black eyebrows staring back at him. Back at the tower, he'd take his mask off when he slept and showered, but he got so used to seeing himself with it on, he was feeling naked without it the last two weeks. But at the same time, he was enjoying the freedom that came with being Dick Grayson again. He'd adopted the persona of 'Robin' full time as a Titan. It was good to be himself again.

Robin ran his hands through his messy hair. "Who am I these days?" He asked himself. Was he Robin or Dick Grayson. Could he live as both while living at Titan Tower?

Robin figured he better go get some breakfast before he made his brain explode from such deep thoughts. He was famished and he was burning daylight –not that there was much to do with a broken leg stuck erect anyway. He hobbled down the large marble staircase and giggled to himself when he remembered Alfred's random comment about breaking the sound barrier on his wheelchair. As he reached the bottom of the stairs, he stopped for a moment to massage his hands. The crutches had bruised his palms and turned them brown from the bruising. He made a mental note to get Cyborg to build him an electric wheelchair when he got home.

Robin then resumed his trek to the kitchen. The swing door was in sight. Not far now from hot toast with scrambled eggs. But as Robin got closer to the door, he could hear Raven and Alfred talking. Robin leaned in close to the door, careful to not let them know he was listening.

"Whatever decision you make, Miss Raven," Alfred said, "I'm sure Master Dick will understand."

"I guess.." Raven sighed. "You've known Bruce and Robin for a long time now. I can't figure out their relationship with each other. One moment they're best friends, the next they're at each other's throats."

Robin heard Alfred chuckle. Raven was right though. Robin and Bruce did argue a lot. "One thing to understand about the two of them," Alfred explained, "Is that they are both alike in personality. Both are stubborn and both are natural leaders. This is what causes them to argue all the time. However, they are both loyal and honourable men, which is what brings them together. Both their parents were murdered by madmen, did Mater Dick tell you about that?"

Robin couldn't hear anything, but he knew Raven was shaking her head. He didn't tell any of the Titans anything about himself or Bruce.

"Well, maybe it's best that I leave that story to Master Bruce, or Master Dick if you decide to go back home. I hope you don't mind my asking, but are you hoping to stay here to avoid someone or something back home?"

Robin pressed his ear closer to the door and held his breath. He wanted to hear Raven's answer. He didn't know what he hoped to hear, but he needed to know if she were doing it to avoid him since their friendship had become strained with feelings not previously acknowledged.

"It's a lot of things," Raven replied, not entirely sounding convinced herself.

"Whatever you choose to do," Alfred said wisely, "Do it because you feel it's the right thing to do."

Robin pulled away from the door. Raven was always so cryptic. He wasn't sure what her reasons were for wanting to stay. Maybe she really did love Gotham that much. But was it enough to leave the Titans? He pushed the kitchen door open and walked in.

"Morning!" He greeted cheerily, not letting on that he'd been listening in on their conversation.

"Hey," Raven greeted in what would normally be described as 'cheery' for Raven.

"Good morning, Master Dick," Alfred greeted. "Would you like me to cook you some pancakes again?"

Robin smiled, as good as pancakes were, he knew Alfred had to prepare a lot to get them made, and he felt bad for the elderly gent. "It's okay, Alfred. Just some toast and scrambled eggs, thanks." Alfred nodded and turned back to the stove to make Robin's breakfast.

Robin and Raven sat quietly for a moment. The possibility of Raven leaving the Titans was looming and it felt like the elephant in the room that everyone knew was there, but didn't want to talk about it. "So," Robin began. "What have you got planned for today?"

Raven picked up her cup of herbal tea. "Alfred's offered to drive me to Gotham Observatory."

Robin snorted, remembering the time when he fought Mr.Freeze at Gotham Observatory. "It's been years since I was there. But from what I remember, it'll make for a very interesting visit." Robin replied. Raven nodded and began sipping her hot tea. "So, are you touring as much as you can, just in case you decide to come home with me tomorrow?"

Raven put her tea down and looked over at Robin. "I guess," she replied stoically.

"Is there anything I can say to persuade you to come back to Jump City?" Robin meant business. He did not want to lose his friend and a valued team member.

Raven smirked at him. "Nope."

Robin smiled back. He didn't know why it was so funny, but he'd already begun to prepare himself for the possibility of Raven leaving. "Whatever you choose to do, I'll accept it.."

Raven picked up her tea again. "Thanks."

Robin was hungry. Alfred was taking ages making breakfast. Robin looked down at Raven's plate. She still had half a slice of toast sitting on her plate, and both her hands were occupied with holding the tea. Robin smiled to himself as he reached over and tried to grab her toast. Unfortunately for Robin, Raven saw what he was doing and used her powers to create a shield around her plate.

Robin and Raven both laughed at each other. "Oh come on, Raven!" Robin complained. "I'm hungry!"

Raven smiled and resumed drinking her tea. "If I had to wait for my breakfast, so do you."

Robin laughed at Raven's cool and calm response. If Raven did stay in Gotham, he was really going to miss this.

--------------------------------

Raven stood in the doorway of Robin's room. It was time to go home and he was packing his clothes, with Raven watching him. Raven had been standing quietly for half an hour now. And Robin was wanting to wait until the last minute to ask her if she'd decided to stay or go. He hadn't brought up the topic since yesterday at breakfast. He was wearing his baggy navy jeans again and white tank top. He zipped up his duffel bag, now having finished packing. He placed his mask and Titans communicator in his pocket. He'd planned to leave within the next half an hour and the Titans were still expecting both Robin and Raven to be returning home.

"All packed?" Raven asked, finally breaking the silence.

Robin smiled. "Yep. Who would've thought packing with one leg in plaster was so hard!"

Raven smirked at him. "I wouldn't know."

Robin's smile faded. His heart was pounding. It was time to ask the dreaded question. And he was afraid of what her answer would be. "Okay, moment of truth," He began. "Are you coming back to Jump City or staying here?"

**Author's notes: **okay, okay, I know! I did it again! But next chapter, I swear, in the first few sentences, you'll find out if Raven goes home with Robin. Next chapter up in a week (I hope!) And I swear, things will start becoming more entertaining, now that the other Titans will be in the story again. Don't forget to review!


	7. ch7: Home Sweet Home

**Author's notes: **okay, okay, I know! I left ya'll hanging! But this chapter, I swear, in the first few sentences, you'll find out if Raven goes home with Robin. Oh and robin's still got his 'hot and heavy' encounter with raven on his mind.. so be prepared for sexual references! Also, yet again, I've been wondering what the Heck my own story is about- then I watched pride & prejudice with mum and I realised it.. life isn't always the way you expect it.. it's random.. and that's what my story is.. Don't forget to review!

p.s. for future reference. I've only seen upto the end of season 4, so all my characters are based on what I've seen in the 4 seasons. So if this story goes against events in season 5, then too bad! mwahhahahahah!

**Ch7: Home sweet home**

It was time to ask the dreaded question. And he was afraid of what her answer would be. "Okay, moment of truth," He began. "Are you coming back to Jump City or staying here?"

Raven stopped leaning on the doorframe and walked over to Robin. She still hadn't answered him. She picked up his duffle bag and slung it over her shoulder. "Well, I thought about it.." Raven replied, staring into his bright blue eyes.

Robin waited patiently for her reply, but she just kept staring at him. "And..?? Robin asked, trying to get her to hurry up and answer him.

Raven smiled at him, clearly having fun with keeping him waiting in suspense. "And.. After thinking about it, I think that as much as I love Gotham City, I think I'm coming back home."

Robin sighed with relief. He was afraid of what he'd have to put up with back home if Raven didn't return home. He was also thankful because with all that had happened, he didn't want to lose Raven. Robin couldn't stop himself as he dropped his crutches and hugged Raven. "Thank you.." Robin whispered.

-----------------------------------

Starfire, BB and Cyborg were waiting anxiously in the loading bay for Robin and Raven to return. Robin called as they left Gotham, to let them know they were on the way. The T-Ship was close by. They could hear it. The low rumble of the engines were getting louder as the ship neared the tower.

"They're here," Cyborg announced, his sensors picking up the ship.

The three stooges watched the ship land and the landing pad, with excitement. The titans hadn't been separated for 2 weeks before now. After the T-ship landed, Raven used her powers to levitate Robin (now donning his thick, black mask), herself and their luggage onto the ground in front of the rest of their team.

"Friends!" Starfire squealed as she leaped excitedly towards Robin and Raven. Robin and Raven could do nothing more than brace themselves as the super-strong teen pulled them in for a group hug. "It is so good to see you both again!" Robin looked over Star's shoulder at Raven. She had the same cringe on her face as he did. Star _did_ tend to hug so tight you felt like you're bones were about to break. Star finally released them and Robin steadied himself as best he could.

"It's good to be back," Robin replied, smiling.

"Good to have ya back," Cyborg replied. "Now get over here and gimme a hug!" He laughed, arms widespread. Robin laughed, looking over at Raven. She had the tiniest hint of a smile on her face. He hoped it was because she too was glad to be back.

-------------------------------------------

Robin sat on a low-to-the-ground metal stool in Cyborg's garage. His foot rested on a tipped-over tyre just in front of him. Robin was watching Cyborg, with the help of Beast Boy, build a motorised wheelchair for Robin. Cyborg sat on the ground, tightening bolts on the side of the chair. The silver metal frame was all that was assembled so far.

"Dude! Beast boy called out. He was on the other side of the room, checking out tools and junk that lay atop of Cyborg's worktable. "You should SO hook this up to the chair!" Beast boy squealed as he held up a canister of NOS gas. This was Beast Boy's way of 'helping'.

Robin laughed. If Alfred saw that, he'd laugh also at their private joke. "I'm not planning on breaking the sound barrier anytime soon, BB."

Cyborg laughed. "Man, put that canister down!" Cyborg grumbled as he waved the spanner in BB's direction. "If you're going to help, at least grab me that screwdriver with the red handle!"

BB nodded and walked around the workbench to get to the right screwdriver. However, the workbench was closely situated to the door, which opened as BB neared it. Raven stood in the doorway, a glare on her face when she spotted BB. "EEK!" BB squealed. "Er.. Hi, Raven!" He greeted nervously. She still freaked him out after living with her for 5 years.

Cyborg and Robin both turned to see what had their green friend so surprised. "Oh, Hey Raven!" Cyborg called out. "Wanna help design Robin's new wheelchair?"

Raven didn't reply. She glared at him instead. "Someone was in my room," She announced stoically.

Robin raised an eyebrow at Raven's comment. "What do you mean? Everyone here knows not to go in your room."

Raven looked at BB suspiciously. "Well, _someone_ was in my room and tried on my cloak." She announced, holding up one of her cloaks. "There's green fur all over it."

At the sight of the cloak, BB squealed, turned into a mouse and scampered away as fast as he could.

This caused Robin to laugh, as the last time he went away, he caught everyone wearing _his_ own uniforms.

Raven glared at her cybernetic friend when she saw him laughing too. "Cyborg?" She asked. "Were _you_ in my room too?"

Cyborg finally stopped his work and leaned back, resting his hands on the pavement below. "Nope. Last time I was in your room was that time Silky got loose." He explained.

"What's the big deal?" Robin asked Raven. He knew she hated people touching her stuff, but she seemed to get agitated over little things.

"I hate it when people touch my stuff. My room is private." Raven grumbled.

Robin just laughed. "How is this situation any different to when I caught all of you wearing my uniform?" He asked. This caused Raven _and_ Cyborg to blush, as they were both caught wearing Robin's outfit.

-------------------------------------------------

Robin was sitting on the couch watching TV. Raven was sitting on the semi-circle couch also, but reading one of her many gothic books. This was how they normally interacted when chilling at the Tower. Robin watched Tv, while Raven read. But since sleeping with Raven, Robin couldn't stop his urge to ignore the Tv and look at her. Even though this event happened over a week ago, it still continually played on Robin's mind. He remembered hearing Raven's moans as they grinded into each other. It was turning him on, and he secretly wished that he could have that with her again. Robin looked over at Raven. She sat crossed legged, a few feet away from him. She seemed to not notice him staring at her.

Robin, knowing he could be noticed at any time, tried to take in the vision before him with a quick pace. He watched as her foot rocked up and down, seemingly to a beat that Robin couldn't hear. Raven still hadn't noticed him yet. So his vision moved up her calf, and past her knees, to her pale thighs and how high up her hips her leotard met those thighs were what caught his attention. Raven still hadn't noticed him yet. Robin couldn't stop staring at her hips, remembering how he held her there and guided her through the motions. He was getting turned on by just watching her, and reliving his memories of his time together with her.

Suddenly, Raven blinked, as if she'd suddenly realised something. When her pale face started to blush, Robin knew her empathic powers had picked up on Robin's lust for her. "Okay.." Raven said aloud, not looking at Robin. She closed her book. Robin had to act fast because he wasn't sure if she was going to run away or yell at him!

"Raven, I'm sorry!" Robin apologised quickly. "I didn't mean for you to pick up on that!"

Raven's face became redder, until it was not only her cheeks that were red, but her forehead and chin too. She looked over at Robin. She knew her face was getting hot, as she brought her hands up to her cheeks. "Forget about it," She said softly. "It's not your fault," she replied, talking about her ability to pick up his emotions.

"Raven.." Robin softened his voice, incase Starfire could hear them from the kitchen. "What if I don't want to forget about it?"

Raven's eyes widened. "You have to," She replied. Suddenly, before either of them could say anything else, the double doors to the living room slid open and in came BB.

"Who wants PIZZA!" BB called out as he entered the Titans living room with four large pizza boxes in his arms. Cyborg followed close behind as they had driven to get the pizzas together.

Robin was still staring at Raven. She had a look on her face that Robin couldn't read. Was it hurt? Regret? Sadness? He watched her put her hood over her reddened face and get up to go eat at the dining table. Robin sighed and picked up his crutches.

"So, tell me again," Starfire asked as she sat at the round table between Raven and BB. "Why is it that we could not go out for pizza?"

Cyborg placed a couple of slices of peperoni pizza on his plate. "Because we can't let the bad guys know how badly Robin is injured," Cyborg explained. "So we gotta keep him out of the public view for a couple of months."

BB nearly choked on his pizza. "Dude!!" He squealed. "Months?! We can't leave the tower for _months_?"

Robin by then, had finally reached the table and sat down between Raven and Cyborg. "You guys can still go out. _I'm_ the one who has to stay in the Tower," He explained, as he began serving up some pizza for himself.

"You know.." Raven said, her hood still on. He could barely see her face beneath the shadows, but he could tell she were still looking at her own pizza. "If you took off that mask and dressed in civilian clothes, no-one would ever know it was you wandering around the city."

Robin raised an eyebrow in Raven's direction. He knew that the topic of his secret identity would come up sooner or later, now that he'd returned from Gotham, but he didn't expect Raven of all people to bring it up.

"Yeah, dude," Cyborg agreed. "You could do that! You're going to go nuts if you stay in the tower for 6 weeks!"

Robin shook his head. "I'll be fine."

Starfire looked at Robin with a sad look on her face. "Is this to do with your identity that is a secret?" She asked. She hit the nail on the head. And unbeknownst to her, not one but _two_ of her fellow titans knew what Robin looked like under the thick black mask.

Robin sighed. "It's complicated, guys," Robin replied to the group. "See, In Gotham, I had two identities, but being here, I've only had one. And it's made life easier that way."

"It was just a suggestion.." Raven mumbled to herself, but sitting next to Robin, of course he heard it.

Robin figured he'd have some fun with her, as pay back for her bringing up the topic. "Well, then why don't _you_ stop wearing your hood in the house?" Robin smirked as he continued with, "Are you trying to hide something?"

Raven stiffened in her seat. Robin had her there. He couldn't see if her face was still bright red, and probably she didn't know either. And now, everyone was staring at her. If she wasn't blushing before, she was now! Raven put her slice of pizza down and then looked up at her friends. They were all staring at her while chewing on their pizza slices.. all except for Robin. He'd crossed his arms and was sitting back with a big smirk on his face.

"I've nothing to hide," Raven replied stoically as she reached up and pulled back her hood. Robin was slightly let down with the fact that her bright red face had gone back to normal, except with a slight tinge of pink on her cheeks. No-one seemed to mind and resumed eating their pizzas. Robin was slightly disappointed, and resumed eating his pizza also. He thought the scene was over, but then Starfire began looking quizzingly at Raven.

Robin watched on as Star's index finger slowly made its way to Raven's pink cheeks. Raven noticed it also and she tried to back away as the offending finger made its way to her face. "Quit it!" Raven groaned.

"But your cheeks have a pink colour," Star commented. "Maybe you have the glathnar?" Of course no-one understood what Star was talking about.

"Chill, Star," Cyborg said, with his mouthful of meatlovers pizza. "Maybe it's the hot salami making her cheeks red." Raven nodded and pushed Star's finger away.

BB raised an eyebrow at Raven. "Raven doesn't have hot salami on her pizza.." He commented, noticing Raven's slice of pizza. Raven glared at him for his observation and used her powers to levitate the vegetarian pizza, along with the slice BB was holding, up into the air above them.

"Hey!" BB called out. "No fair!" He got up on the table and started jumping up to try get his pizza back. However, his jumping up and down was causing the plates to jump, and he almost landed on Robin's pizza.

"Raven," Robin laughed, "Give him his pizza back before he demolishes ours.."

Raven smirked as she turned her attentions to Robin. She continued to stare at him with a smirk on her face, as the pizzas were lowered back onto the table. BB squealed with glee when his pizza was returned to him. Robin and Raven seemed to be unable to stop staring at each other. Robin couldn't figure out what it was. Then again, they now knew each other in more ways than the rest of the Titans ever will. He smiled back at her. With his mask on, she couldn't see his bright blue eyes anymore, and he wished he could take it off –just for her.

BB now had his pizza back in front of him, and he was chowing down his pizza with record speed. Robin himself resumed eating, but in the corner of his eye, he could see Raven was still staring at him. Not used to being stared at, Robin looked back over at Raven. She was still smirking.

"What?" Robin asked, smiling at Raven. She never smiled like that, unless she was in one of those moods.

"Payback," She replied, as a slice of BB's Vegetarian pizza landed on Robin's head. When Raven levitated the pizza and BB's half eaten slice, she never lowered his one slice. And now it was face-down on Robin's spikey hair.

This caught everyone by surprise. BB's mouth dropped open and a piece of half-eaten capsicum fell out. "FOOD FIGHT!" BB suddenly called out and everyone began throwing around their food, while trying not to get hit.

-----------------------------------------

Robin sat with Cyborg in the garage again. It was the third day since he'd arrived back at the Tower and Cyborg had almost finished the wheelchair. Robin was sitting on the floor, with the toolbox on one side of him, Cyborg on the other.

"Wrench," Cyborg said, still looking at the wheelchair.

Robin fished through the big red toolbox and pulled it out. "Wrench," Robin repeated, handing it to him.

Cyborg began tightening a bolt on the side of the wheelchair. "So, you gonna do what Raven suggested the other day?"

"Do what?"

"Go out, but not as the Robin 'I'm-a-hardcore-crime-fighter' we see all the time," He replied, smiling at his description of Robin.

Robin laughed. "I don't know. Was it a total shock to you when I accidentally called you without my mask on?"

Cyborg passed the wrench back to Robin, and the masked teen put the wrench back in the toolbox. "I gotta admit, it _was_ at first. But now I kinda feel sorry for ya," he replied.

This caught Robin by surprise. He was not used to being pitied, and he hated being pitied since the day of his parents' funeral. "What do you mean?" he asked.

Cyborg sat up straight and stretched his cybernetic arms up in the air. "I mean, you're the only one here who has to hide who he is all the time," he explained.

Robin nodded. He didn't know how to respond to that. It was true what Cyborg had said. "What do you expect me to do?" He asked. "I lived like this since I was working together with Batman."

Cyborg sighed. "I dunno man, but now that the topic's coming up again, I think you're gonna have to decide if you want us to know who you really are. It's been 5 years man. We've known you for a long time.."

Robin nodded. "I know."

And besides, Cyborg smiled, "I know you're getting bored stuck in the tower."

Very true. Robin was going ape. He'd tried to keep himself busy by pouring over past crime files, but then it just started getting aggravating as Red X, along with many more criminals, were still loose and he was stuck at the tower with a bad leg. "I'll go out when I'm ready," Robin replied with a smile.

Cyborg smiled back. "I know you will, man. And I'll try to act surprised when I see you without the mask."

The two men laughed, but their laughter was interrupted by flashing red lights and that siren that meant one thing. "Trouble!" Cybrog and Robin said together. Cyborg got up, then extended his hand to Robin's to help his friend up. Once Robin was steady on his one good foot, Cyborg abandoned him and ran towards the door.

"Hey!" Robin called out. "You gotta get my crutches!" Robin yelled out, pointing to his crutches across the room.

Cyborg, still running, called out, "Get in the chair! It's done!"

Robin looked quizzingly at the chair. "Why didn't you tell me it was done?"

By now, Cyborg had reached the door and stopped. He turned to Robin and smiled, "It's not _really_ done," he replied, smiling. "I still gotta paint it. But the mechanical part of it's done." And with that Cyborg left the room.

Robin figured he better hurry if he was going to make it to the living room in time to see what was happening. He hopped over to the chair and lowered himself into it. He used both hands to lift his erect plastered leg onto the elevated cushion Cyborg had installed. Once he was seated properly, he lifted the breaks off the wheels. "Time to test this thing!" Robin said to himself. He was nervous. Cyborg's inventions tended to have a mind of their own.. or took off very fast! Robin took a deep breath and brought his right hand up to the toggle switch on the right hand rest. It looked like the toggles on their video game system controllers. Robin pushed the toggle forward, and the chair began to move forward and a slow speed. He pushed the toggle forward more and it took of faster. "Alright, Cyborg!" Robin said aloud as he made his way to the living room.

---------------------------------

By the time Robin made it to the living room, the rest of the Titans had left already. He sighed to himself. It wasn't as if he _expected_ them to wait for him.. But he was the leader, and they took off without even a word. Robin wheeled himself to the computer console on the far side of the room. He pressed a few buttons and on the screen popped up a map of the city, and a flashing blue light where Cyborg's car was headed. He pressed a few more buttons and then BB's face appeared onscreen. He had dialled the T-car. Somehow BB had shotgunned the front seat. That was a first.

"What's the situation?" Robin asked, getting straight to the point.

"It's Slade.." BB replied. "He's back."

Robin balled his fists and slammed them on each side of the console. His ultimate enemy comes back from hiding and he can't go out and help. "Send me the co-ordinates where he's supposed to be and I'll try track him from here," Robin ordered. His green friend nodded in reply. "And be careful! All of you."

Beast boy smiled. "No worries, dude. We'll kick his fat butt!" Beast boy saluted Robin, "Beast Boy out!"

Robin crossed his arms after disconnecting the call. He received the co-ordinated from Beast Boy, but there was no way to track Slade. He was _apparently_ seen heading for the forest on the outskirts of the city. There were no surveillance systems that far out of the city. And so, Robin tracked the T-car on the GPS navigation system.

This was annoying him. He wished he wasn't so.. human. He wished he didn't have a broken leg, because not being able to go with them was eating away at him. All he could do was wait and watch the stupid blue dot on the screen move away from the city and towards the forest. While he waited for them to reach the forest, Robin checked the police report that was sent to the Tower when the alert rang out. Slade had broken into yet another research facility and had stolen a device that was classified as top secret. "As usual," Robin commented aloud to himself. He looked back at the map with the T-car's position. They were getting close to the forest. Robin was getting anxious. 'They need me,' he thought to himself. 'And I'm too useless to do anything.'

Suddenly, the T-car's position disappeared from the screen. Robin sat up properly in his chair. "What the hell?" He said aloud, pressing a few buttons in an attempt to get the T-car's position back onscreen. But nothing worked. 'They better be alright..' Robin thought to himself. 'Maybe the T-car was attacked?' He thought, trying to come up with all explanations for why the car would disappear from the GPS system.

Robin began scanning the TV channels, hoping maybe some dare-devil reporter had decided to film the fight. But there was nothing. Robin sighed, and tried to relax. He was never good with sitting around and doing nothing. An hour had gone by. Robin was still searching the city via the television and security cameras. There was still no sign of the Titans. All their communicators were down and there was no way to track them from the Tower. Robin was worried now. They were gone too long and it's not normal to be out of contact for so long. They should have checked in by now.

Robin was ready to begin pulling his spikey black hair out. He couldn't handle the anxiety. Suddenly, a flashing light appeared at the bottom of the screen. This caught Robin's attention. "An incoming call.. From Beast Boy's communicator," he said as he clicked the flashing light. He was expecting a call from his green friend.. But to Robin's surprise.. it was Slade. His arch enemy.

"Slade.." Robin said snidely.

"Good evening, Robin," Slade greeted. "I must say, it is good to see you again," the one-eyed villain said in his creepy, low voice. "Though, I was disappointed to see the Titans had arrived without you.."

Robin slammed his fist on the console. "What have you done to them!?"

Slade laughed. "Oh, nothing.. yet." He replied, with an emphasis on the 'yet'. "Though, there is a rumour floating around that you are injured.."

Robin snarled. "I'm perfectly fine!"

Slade laughed again. He was enjoying this. "Well in that case, come save your friends. You have three hours to find me." Slade obviously could not see the wheelchair from the video monitor.

"I'll find them," Robin replied snidely. "And you'll wish you never returned to Jump City!"

"You know Robin," Slade replied, obviously not phased with Robin's snide words. "I think I'm going to rip that pretty head off your friend Raven first.."

Before Robin had a chance to reply, Slade ended the call.

Robin couldn't do much else than yell with fury as he watched the screen go blank.

**Author's notes:** dum dum daaah! What's Robin gonna do now!? He's injured! And sorry if any of you felt out of the loop in the hunt for slade.. the story is meant to be from Robin's point of view.. so if he misses the fight, so do we.. poor robin! I can't wait for the next chapter! I have so much more in store for you all, my pretties! Don't forget to review!


	8. ch8: The more the merrier

**Ch8: The more the merrier**

Robin yelled with fury. His bellowing echoed throughout the Tower. "That rat bastard!" Robin growled. "If I didn't have this stupid leg in a cast, I'd.." Robin yelled. He was so angry at everything. He was angry at himself for getting injured in the first place. He was mad that Slade had threatened to hurt his friends, especially Raven. He hated when situations were beyond his control – and this was one of those situations. He obviously couldn't go out there and save his friends. He could barely do anything with the plaster cast riding up his left leg from ankle to thigh. Robin needed to think about his next move carefully, or his friends might die. And he had 2 hours and 55 minutes to get them back.

Robin thought back to the words Slade had said. Why was he picking on Raven first? Slade _was_ addicted to power, and after finding out Raven was a portal, he seemed to have turned his attentions from Robin to Raven in his need for an apprentice. _Or_ he could have just randomly picked a teammate, just to get under Robin's skin.

"Come on!" Robin spurred himself on, "I have to think! I obviously can't do this alone.." It was then that Robin got his idea. He needed to call for some backup, and fast.

Robin, still sitting at the computer console, dialled the Titans East Tower. "Come on, Come on.. Pick up!" He whispered with urgency, praying it would encourage them to answer the call quickly.

"Hello?" Bumblebee's face appeared onscreen.

"Bumblebee!" Robin said, with urgency. "I need your help! Slade's captured the rest of the Titans West and I need you guys to help me get them back!"

Bumblebee had a worried look on her face. Robin could see Aqualad in the background, walking over to the monitor with Bumblebee, obviously hearing what had happened. "I'm sorry, Robin.." Bumblebee began. "But Speedy and the twins are off on a mission right now," she explained. She looked at Aqualad and he nodded at her. She then turned back to Robin and smiled, "But the two of us will be there as fast as we can."

Robin nodded and smiled gratefully at his friends. "Thanks. Please hurry. We only have two hours and fifty minutes left to save them."

Bumblebee nodded and cut off the connection. Robin was left staring at a blank screen once again. "Please hurry," Robin said to the blank screen. While waiting for Bumblebee and Aqualad to arrive, Robin did as much research as he could into where Slade was and what he was doing.

---------------------------

It took almost an hour for Bumblebee and Aqualad to arrive. Robin had opened the loading bay for their ship without having to move from the computer console he was stationed at. While waiting for them, he managed to gather that there was an abandoned house within the vicinity of where the T-car went missing. It used to house the scientists that worked at the Observatory.

When Bumblebee and Aqualad arrived, Robin used his communicator and instructed them to come to the living room. His instructions were greeted with an odd look from Bumblebee, clearly wondering why Robin hadn't come to greet them himself.

Robin used the toggle on the right armrest to back the wheelchair up and to turn it around so that now it was facing the door that Bumblebee and Aqualad were about to enter through. And just as Robin expected, the duo had come running into the living room within a matter of minutes. Upon entering the living room, Bumblebee saw Robin and stopped dead in her tracks, causing Aqualad to crash into her, as he was running directly behind her.

Robin realised then that he'd yet to inform them of his.. condition. Bumblebee and Aqualad collected themselves and stood up straight again, both with confused looks on their faces. "Damn, Wonderboy! What the hell happened to you?!" Bumblebee asked, putting her hands on her hips.

"So.." Aqualad asked, "This explains why you weren't caught with the rest of the Titans.."

Robin nodded. "No time to explain in full, so I'll talk fast. I broke my leg almost three weeks ago, and have been hiding it from the outside world. Slade just came back out of hiding, so the others went out to get him. Slade then called me using BB's communicator and said he'd give me three hours to come get them.. or else.."

Bumblebee looked at her watch. "So how much time have we got now?"

"One hour, fifty-five minutes."

Aqualad put his hand up, ready to ask his question. "Er.. You're not planning on going out there.. like _that _are you?" He asked, pointing to the wheelchair.

This made Bumblebee laugh. "I can just see it now.. Robin tearing it up down Main street in that wheelchair!" She joked.

Robin crossed his arms. "We're running out of time!" He growled.

Bumblebee and Aqualad tried to hide their laughter and apologised in unison.

"Alright, here's the plan," Robin explained. "I've tracked the T-car to this location," Robin instructed, pointing to the map on the computer screen. "Slade's expecting only myself to go, so hopefully he'll be caught off guard when he finds out there's two of you. Now, obviously I can't go out there like this.."

"Damn straight!" Bumblebee replied. When Robin glared at her, she apologised yet again. "Sorry. Don't worry, Wonder boy. We'll save them. You guide us from here with the communicators, okay?"

Robin nodded and the two were off to save the day. Robin sighed as he was yet again left alone to ponder about his own uselessness. He would to anything to have his leg back in working order again. He couldn't stand sitting back and doing nothing. His friends needed him, and all he could do was sit back and let the Titans East save the day.

Robin guided the duo to the location where the Titans went missing. However, as they reached the house, their communicators went offline also. Robin could only explain this as one of Slade's ploys to cut off communications between the titans. He sighed to himself, yet again, and hoped that this time he wouldn't have to call for even more reinforcements.

-------------

The two hours were almost up, and still no word from Bumblebee and Aqualad. Robin was _really_ beginning to worry. He wasn't sure on what else to do, other than wheeling down main street in his wheelchair, as Bumblebee suggested. He sat at the computer, trying to play out every possible scenario in his head. Maybe they were caught and Slade's killing them all.. Maybe Bumblebee and Aqualad managed to free the others, but they're stuck in an endless battle against Slade. And Slade _did_ tend to keep reinforcements close by.

"I wish I could help them.." Robin said to himself. He leaned his elbow on the desk below and rested his head on his hand.

"Help who?" A familiar voice asked from behind him. "Because clearly, it can't be us!" Beast boy laughed.

Robin turned the wheelchair around and was greeted with the beautiful sight of Bumblebee, Aqualad, Starfire, Raven, BB and Cyborg. All returned safely.. kind of. Cyborg had some wires loose on his right shoulder and sparks occasionally flew out from his arm. Raven also had bruising on her neck.

"I was so worried!" Robin announced, unable to stop himself from sounding like a worried mother. "What happened out there?"

Beast boy took a deep breath, about to rant on about the night's events, when Cyborg quickly put his hand over the green teen's mouth. "Can we continue this in the infirmary?" He asked. "Because some of us actually require medical attention."

Robin nodded and they all made their way to the infirmary. Robin, in the wheelchair, followed behind, taking the opportunity to look at Raven's neck from where he was. The bruising was still light, but from the red marks, Robin could tell she had been grabbed around the neck and it was going to cause quite a lot of bruising if it wasn't tended to.

------------------------

In the infirmary, Cyborg began repairing his damaged shoulder, with some help from Bumblebee. Raven sat cross-legged atop of the bed next to Cyborg's and she began to levitate and meditate to heal her bruising.

"So what happened tonight?" Robin asked, satisfied that everyone (bar Raven, who was in deep meditation) was ready to talk about the night's events.

"Slade ambushed us, that's what happened!" Beast boy explained. "He got us with some kind of sleeping gas, and the next thing I knew, Bumblebee and Aqualad where there to save us!"

Robin looked around the room. "What did he do to you guys?" He asked, specifically at his own team, looking over at Raven and her bruised neck.

"I am unsure.." Star replied softly, putting in her 2 cents.

"We found them in these metal boxes," Bumblebee explained.

"From what my sensors could pickup as we regained consciousness," Cyborg explained, sitting still as Bumblebee readjusted some of the wiring in his shoulder from behind him. "The cells he was holding us in were solid steel, and the air was so low, that we didn't regain consciousness until Bumblebee and Aquadude opened the cells for us."

"Yeah!" BB backed him up. BB was now casually leaning on the side of Robin's wheelchair. "And then when we were set free, Slade started to open up a whole can of whoop-ass!" Beast boy exclaimed. "And Slade was like 'RAAR!' and Star was like 'Bam!' and then Bumblebee was all 'Ka-pow!'" BB flapped his arms around as he emphasised the sound effects. However, on the last 'Ka-pow', his arm flung out and smacked Robin in the face.

"Ow!" Robin caller out, bringing his hand to his nose, rubbing it.

"Oops!" BB exclaimed. "Sorry!"

Robin tried to ignore the light throbbing pain coming from his nose. "So what happened to Raven?" He looked over at her and saw that she were still meditating. She seemed to not be able to hear anything that was going on.

The others looked at her and realised this too. Aqualad walked over to her bed and waved his hand in front of her closed eyes. When he got no response from her, he shrugged and sat down on the bed next to her. "When it looked like we had Slade out-numbered, he grabbed Raven by the neck and threatened to kill her if we continued our attack."

Robin's eyes widened. He knew Slade was shady, but he could be a real a-hole when he was cornered. "Then what?"

Bumblebee laughed, "Let's just say, he can't exactly count properly with one eye!" When Bumblebee saw that Robin wasn't sure what she was talking about, she continued to explain. "When he grabbed Raven, I was already behind him, in my miniature size. So I took it as my time to attack him when he couldn't see me."

Beast Boy laughed also. "I never knew Slade could feel anything under that armour! I swear he screamed like a girl when Bumblebee stung him in the butt!"

By now, Robin was sure that BB was exaggerating. "So what happened to Slade then?"

"Unfortunately," Starfire sighed, "He escaped."

Robin nodded. The explanation wasn't completely detailed, but Robin settled for the explanation he was given. His friends were safe (mostly) and that's all that mattered. He felt bad for not being able to help. "Who's hungry?" Robin asked, figuring maybe he could fix them something to eat at least.

Beast boy practically jumped in the air at the idea of food. "Alright! Midnight snack!"

---------------------------------

Robin wheeled around the dining table, setting plates out for everyone. He had the plates in his lap and as the wheelchair reached the next seat, he'd place the plate on the table. Starfire and Aqualad were in the kitchen, making sandwiches for everyone, as most take-out places weren't open after midnight. BB opened the fridge and picked up his container of pre-prepared tofu. "You guys don't know what you're missing!" BB teased as he placed his container of tofu on the plate where he wanted to sit in front of.

"I'll take your word for it," Aqualad replied. He leaned over to Starfire, who was gathering napkins. "Doesn't Beast Boy eat meat?" He asked quietly.

Starfire shook her head. "Beast Boy is an eater of the vegetables," she replied before flying off in the direction of the dinner table. Aqualad just shrugged and continued to cut the sandwiches into triangles.

Starfire flew around the table, laying out napkins next to the plates Robin was setting out. "Robin..?" Starfire asked.

"Yeah," Robin replied, as he set out the last of the plates. Beast Boy had already seated himself at the table, waiting for everyone else to arrive so they can begin eating. Their green friend was watching them as they conversed.

Starfire seemed nervous in her approach, but Robin was unsure if that was because BB was listening or not. "Um.." She began, seemingly scared of asking her question. "Do you wish to accompany me to the movies on the night of tomorrow?"

Robin didn't understand why she seemed so nervous in asking him. It's not like they hadn't socialised, just the two of them, before. "Sure," He replied with a smile.

Her face seemed to brighten up. "Oh! Glorious!" She squealed as she flew around the room. Robin noticed Beast Boy raising an eyebrow at Robin. Was Robin missing something?

As Starfire flew around the room, Cyborg, Bumblebee and Raven entered the room. Raven and Cyborg seemed healed and all patched up. "Hey!" Robin greeted.

"Time to eat!" Aqualad announced as he brought a massive tray full of sandwiches to the table. "Bon Appétit!"

"Booyah!" Cyborg called out, excited at hearing Aqualad's announcement. "I'm starved!"

And so, they all sat around the table and picked out sandwiches to eat, except for BB, who ate his own tofu delight. Cyborg would normally be complaining to BB about not eating 'tasty food', but today he was flirting with Bumblebee instead. Aqualad was talking to Starfire about their favourite foods, and Beastboy was chowing down on his tofu so fast, you'd think he was going to blow a gasket!

Robin looked to his left. Raven was eating her sandwich in silence. Next to her was Aqualad, and next to him was Starfire. Raven was known for being the quiet one, but now that he had begun to acknowledge his feelings towards her, he wanted to know why she was the way she was. "So," Robin said, getting Raven's attention. She looked up at him with her deep purple eyes. "Are you feeling better?" He asked, regarding the bruise she was sporting an hour ago.

"Fine," She replied stoically. She looked back at her sandwich and took another bite.

Robin took the one-lined response as a hint and stopped talking. If Raven wasn't in the mood to talk, she wasn't in the mood to talk.. Even though he was disappointed that she didn't want to talk to him, he resumed eating his sandwich.

"Hey Robin?" Bumblebee asked from across the round table.

"Hnn??"

"Do you mind if we crash here for a couple of days?"

Robin didn't even need time to think about it. "Of course," he replied.

Almost instantly, Cyborg stood up. "Sweet!" He said excitedly. He then turned to Bumblebee, his right hand extended in her direction. "I'll show you to your room, Madame," he offered Bumblebee. He had a hint of playfulness in his voice that made Robin want to laugh. Cyborg and Bumblebee were all over each other, yet never actually hooked up in the last year they knew each other.

Bumblebee smiled and took his hand. "Thanks, Sparky!" She replied as she too got up from her spot and they both made their way out of the living room, totally forgetting their midnight snacks.

Robin looked at Beast Boy, who was to his right. They just shrugged at each other in regards to Cyborg's and Bumblebee's behaviour and they both resumed eating their sandwiches.

"Raven?"

Robin looked over at Aqualad. He'd obviously finished his conversation with Starfire, and he was now facing Raven, one arm draped over the back of his chair casually. "Can you show me to _my_ room?" The black-eyed man asked casually.

As if they were timed, Robin and BB both sat stunned, sandwiches half-way to their wide open mouths. When they first met Aqualad, Raven was practically gushing at his feet, but he'd never really shown any sort of preference towards her before. Now suddenly he was specifically asking for _her_ to show him to his room. Robin couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy.

Raven shrugged and put her sandwich down. She stood up, and Aqualad followed suit. Being a perfect gentleman, he extended his right arm for Raven to take, which she did, after taking a moment to register what he was doing.

With her back to Robin, he couldn't see the look on her face. Robin was hoping that she wasn't smiling. He couldn't help but feel jealous of Aqualad. The guy was at least two years older, and was more muscular than Robin. He hated to admit it, but he was definitely threatened by the guy.

"Dude.." BB whispered in Robin's ear. "Am I missing something here?"

Robin shrugged as he watched Raven and Aqualad walk out of the room together, the sliding doors closing behind them. "Whatever _it_ is.. I'm out of the loop too.." Robin replied. Both guys were confused at the exchange they just witnessed.

Starfire on the other hand, was smiling her cheeks off. "Oh!" She exclaimed. "Are they not 'cute' together?" She squealed.

Robin was not impressed. "Sure.." He said stoically.

Starfire didn't catch onto Robin's unenthusiasm. She stood and began cleaning up the discarded plates. "Oh! Tomorrow is going to be a glorious day!" She commented enthusiastically before flying off to the kitchen with the plates.

Robin didn't know what the frack was going on. Why was everyone so gushy and romantic lately? Robin hated being out of the loop. He turned to Beast Boy. "What's the big deal about tomorrow?" Robin asked, scratching his head in confusion.

"Dude!" Beast Boy replied, whispering. "Please tell me you _know_ that tomorrow is Valentines day!" Beast boy whispered. "Because if you didn't, then you just agreed to go out on a romantic date with Starfire tomorrow without realising it!"

**Author's notes:** Alright, SHORT chapter I know, but I have a lot of ideas for the next two chapters and I guess I'm just busting to write them! Also, in regards to the cliffhangers- sorry guys, I know they're cruel! But that was how I was taught to write! Don't forget to review! I love hearing your thoughts!


	9. ch9: I Hate Valentines Day

**Author's notes: **I've been getting heaps of reviews asking for these pheromones back, but I have so much in store for Robin, Raven (and the others) and now that I brought Aqua-hottie into it, Bringing RedX in at this point in the story would just be too much and unrealistic. So I'm trying to make a compromise in this story. Don't you worry, crazed RedX fans.. Red X will be making a bigger appearance, just not in the next couple of chapters.. Sorry guys!

**Ch9: I Hate Valentines Day..**

Robin and Beast Boy were shooting hoops on the Tower rooftop. Robin, still in his wheelchair, threw the ball to his green friend. "So, no date for you tonight?" Robin asked. The warm sun was shining down on them, and because BB had the sun behind him, Robin had to shield the sun from his eyes as he looked at his friend.

Beast Boy bounced the ball a couple of times. "Nah," he replied casually. He steadied the ball for the shot before throwing the ball towards the basketball ring. "Ever since Terra, there hasn't really been anyone."

Beast Boy spoke so casually about it, but Robin knew better. Terra was the love of BB's life (so far). And the Terra saga was years ago. Robin knew that BB was scarred for life by Terra's betrayal. And with Beast Boy looking green, it wasn't very easy for him to find a girl. However, now that he was 19 and grown out of his boyish figure, Robin was surprised that BB wasn't raking in the girls. Sure, Robin and Beast Boy were never going to be as buff as Cyborg, but the two of them were almost of the same build and stature as each other. Robin's figure was long and lean, due to his practice as a ninja (that type of combat didn't suit a buff figure like Cyborg's). Beast boy's lean figure was owed to his life as a vegan. Robin was convinced that BB would be giving Cyborg a run for his money if he ate animal products.

"So then what have you got planned for tonight?" Robin asked, rolling his wheelchair to where the ball had landed under the ring.

Beast Boy shrugged in reply. "Depends on what you and the rest of the lovebirds are doing tonight," He replied.

Robin, now with the ball in his lap, directed the motorised wheelchair back out to the 3-point line and readied himself for the next shot. "What do you mean?" BB's answer was cryptic.. and almost sounded wrong on so many levels.. Robin took the shot and missed. The ball hit the side of the basketball ring and flew off to their left, towards the edge of the Tower roof.

Beast boy and Robin watched as the ball bounced away. "Well, I think Cyborg and Bumblebee are going out tonight, and you have that date with Star.." Beast boy said with a cheeky smile on his face, as he knew Robin was dreading it. "And then there's Aquadude and Raven.." Beast Boy sighed. He figured that the ball wasn't going to come back to them on its own so he began walking over to retrieve it. "If they're hanging around the tower tonight, I think I'm going to go out somewhere on my own so I don't barf from all the romance."

Robin laughed at Beast Boy's explanation. If he were the only one without a date, he too would be feeling the same way. Robin watched as BB walked over to get the ball. As Beast Boy reached the basketball, he spotted something over the edge of the roof. "Hey.. Is that Raven and Aqualad?" BB asked, pointing to the water in the distance.

Robin was curious at Beast Boy's random question and he drove the wheelchair over to the edge where BB was. That, and Robin was insanely jealous of Aqualad's date with Raven. And because his feelings were still a secret, he couldn't even tell anyone about it. He didn't know what would happen if the others found out what _really_ happened during the Red X saga in Gotham City.

Robin looked out at the water to see what Beast Boy was talking about. The sun glistened across the calm water of the harbour below. In the distance was a small rowboat. Sure enough, the purple hair and navy colours of their 

friend Raven glistened in the sunlight. Aqualad manned the oars and the two of them seemed to do nothing but talk as the rowboat moved across the water.

"It's always the quiet ones.." Beast Boy commented, still looking out at the lovebirds. "That do things the flashiest way.."

Robin couldn't help but nod in response. "You think she likes him?" Robin asked.

Beast Boy had decided to sit on the basketball, instead of picking it up. He hiked up his long basketball shorts, to make himself more comfortable. The two of them were now sitting and staring out at the harbour. They were lucky because they had such a fantastic view. "I don't know," BB replied. "When we first met Aqualad a few years ago, she was practically drooling all over him. But now, I don't know. I didn't even know Aqualad liked Raven that way!" Beast boy turned to Robin. "Did _you_ know?"

Robin looked over at his friend. "Nah, I didn't. This is a shock to me too." He tried to say without any hurt in his voice. Normally, he wouldn't have cared if Aqualad had a crush on Raven. Normally, he would have thanked the guy for finally getting Raven out of the tower and out of her room. But due to recent events, he couldn't help but feel jealous. He hated that it took Red X's schemes to make Robin realise just how much he cared for her. And he couldn't help but think about her touch, her smell and her body. He didn't like this feeling that was brewing in his gut. He wanted Raven all to himself. He didn't want to become one of those guys who become bitter because they can't be with the girl they want. But he couldn't help but feel bitter now.

Beast Boy on the other hand, seemed to have no idea that Robin was looking at Raven, wishing it were he in the rowboat and not Aqualad. "So how long until your _date_ with Star?"

Robin sighed. "Oh yeah.." he said unenthusiastically. "That.." He ran his hand through his unruly hair. "We're not heading out until seven-thirty," Robin explained.

Beast Boy lifted his left hand to check the time on his watch. "Well it's only two forty-five. So you have heaps of time to call it off if you want, dude," BB explained.

Robin sighed. "I can't call it off now," He replied, despite the fact that he was dreading his 'date' with Star.

"Yeah," Beast boy replied. "Even though you were too stupid to remember Valentines day, she doesn't deserve to be rejected after you'd already agreed to go out with her."

Robin laughed at Beast Boy's comment about Robin being stupid. "Thanks BB!" Robin joked. "But you're right. But I might as well see if I have feelings for Star."

Beast Boy laughed. Robin wasn't sure what was funny, but it was funny hearing Beast Boy laugh. He may have grown up over the last 5 years, but his laugh never changed from its high-pitched childish giggle. "Dude, Starfire is hot. I think you would have noticed by now if you had feelings for her!" BB explained. "Remember when we dared her to do a nudie run around the tower, and she fell in the water?" Beast boy asked.

Robin wasn't sure how that was relevant, but he nodded anyway.

"Well, if seeing her coming out of the water, butt naked and wet, didn't turn you on.." He laughed, "Then you're either gay, or Star's not your type of girl!"

Robin laughed. Secretly he didn't mind the free show when that happened last year, but BB was right. She didn't really do anything for him. But he had decided to go along with his plan to go on his date with her. Robin never went back on his word. "You might be right," Robin replied. "But even you gotta admit, it was a great free perve."

BB laughed. "Of course." Boys will be boys, after all.

Robin took a deep breath and stared back out at the little rowboat in the distance. It was safe to say they were done playing basketball. He watched Raven and Aqualad and wondered what they were talking about. They'd been sitting completely still, until Aqualad stood up in the boat. His arms were moving around, as if he were telling a story to Raven. Robin smiled to himself. He'd just had a brilliant (and evil) idea.

"Hey, Beast Boy," Robin said, getting his friend's attention.

"Yeah," BB replied, looking over at Robin. He saw the cheeky smirk on Robin's face and smiled back. "What are you thinking?" He asked suspiciously.

"I bet you 10 bucks that you can't hit Aqualad with the basketball from here."

Beast Boy laughed. "That's so evil! Even for you!" He laughed. Then suddenly he stopped laughing, as if he'd suddenly begun to ponder taking up the bet. "Alright," Beast Boy smiled, getting up off the basketball and standing up straight. "You're on."

Robin smiled to himself. Things were about to get a whole lot more interesting. "But!" Robin said, lifting his hands up, to get BB's attention. "You can't morph!"

Beast boy hunched at that comment. "Oh, come on!" He complained. "I was gonna use my gorilla strength!" BB explained, flexing his arms as they suddenly grew into green gorilla arms.

Robin laughed "Too bad!" He explained. "Do you want the 10 bucks or not?"

Beast Boy pondered on it for a moment. He stuck his finger in his mouth and then lifted his wet finger into the air, noticing the lack of wind. He then smiled and stuck his hand out at Robin. "Deal!" He said cheerily, waiting for Robin to shake on it.

"You've got slag on your hand now!" Robin complained, staring at the drool on BB's finger.

Beast boy laughed at what he'd accidentally done, and wiped his hand before offering it to Robin once again. "Deal?"

Robin shook on it, and prepared himself to watch and see if BB could throw far enough to hit their fellow Titan.

Robin watched his green friend. BB had the basketball in his hands and took a few steps back, taking a practice run to get the best shot. He only had one shot, because they only had one ball!

"Are you gonna throw it or not?" Robin asked impatiently.

"Keep your knickers on," BB replied, taking another practice run. "If I can't morph, then I gotta plan this perfectly!"

Robin sighed and watched BB ready his shot. "The sun's gonna set if you take any longer!" He joked impatiently.

"What are you two doin'?" A deep voice boomed behind them. Robin looked over and saw that Cyborg and Bumblebee had joined them on the roof.

"I have a bet with slow-poke over here," Robin joked, poking a thumb in BB's direction.

Cyborg and Bumblebee walked up to Robin and BB, hand in hand. Robin noticed this. It was the first time he'd seen the two of them show real affection for each other. Usually they'd tease each other or were beating each 

other up! Beast boy stood and watched the lovey-dovey couple also. "Will you two sit down or find somewhere to stand?" He complained. "I'm ready to take my shot!"

Robin sighed. "Finally! Hurry up!"

Cyborg and Bumblebee stood next to Robin, still hand in hand. "So what's the bet?"

Beast Boy groaned. "Robin bet me ten bucks that I can't hit Aqualad from here."

Cyborg smiled, "You're gonna lose, spikey," He laughed as he ruffled Robin's hair.

Robin moved his head, trying to stop his cybernetic friend from wreaking his hair. "He's not allowed to morph!"

"Then you're gonna lose, sugar!" Bumblebee said to Beast Boy.

Beast Boy stuck his tongue out at his audience. "We'll see.. I'm a lot stronger than I look!"

"Hurry it up!" Robin yelled, trying to get things rolling.

Beast Boy took a deep breath. "Alright.. here goes!" Beast Boy announced as he walked backwards until he was satisfied he had walked far enough to get a decent run up. Beast Boy held the ball in his right hand. He sprinted towards the edge of the tower and just as he began to reach the edge, he pulled the ball back and then threw it like a discus.

The brown basketball flew into the air. Cyborg whistled at how far it was going. "Damn, BB. You got some muscles on ya!"

Beast Boy laughed. "Pay up!" He said, still looking at the ball, but holding his palm out at Robin, ready to take the 10.

"We gotta see it land first," Robin replied. He was worried. The ball looked like it would actually make it. Aqualad had now sat down in the rowboat. He didn't seem to know the ball was headed towards him. With the angle they were watching from, it was hard to tell just how close the ball was. Then it hit. The ball landed in the water right in front of the rowboat, splashing Raven and Aqualad with its impact.

"OOhhh!!" Cyborg, called out. "They are _not_ gonna be happy!"

"Damnit!" Beast Boy yelled. "I was so close!" He flung his arms up into the air in defeat.

Robin laughed. He saw Raven and Aqualad wipe their faces of the water that had splashed on them. He watched as they saw the ball and then looked up at them on the Tower rooftop.

"Run!" Bumblebee yelled as she shrunk into her micro size and hid behind Cyborg's head.

Robin began laughing at the responses from the others. He secretly wanted to get Raven's attention, and now he had it.. kind of. Though, the way BB was reacting, Raven and Aqualad figured out that it was he who threw the ball.

"Er.." Beast boy said warily, pointing towards the small rowboat. "What's Raven doing?"

Robin and the others all looked over at the rowboat. Raven had now stood up and had raised her arms above her head. "She doesn't look too happy," Cyborg commented. "Um, we're gonna go now!" Cyborg and Bumblebee then ran away to the door that lead them back inside the tower.

Robin and Beast boy were watching Raven intently. "Do you think we should run too?" BB asked. Robin shrugged in reply. Raven had now used her powers to levitate the ball in front of her. They were at a distance, but the boys could still see the ball was now absorbed in her black aura. She levitated the ball over towards BB and Robin. "She's sending the ball back!" Beast Boy squealed. "What do we do!?"

Robin shrugged as the ball zoomed through the air, headed right for Robin and BB. It was still under Raven's control, as it was still black. The ball seemed to be headed right for BB. "Duck!" Robin yelled as the ball looked like it was about to hit his green friend. BB bobbed down and shielded his head just in case. But Raven had other plans. She stopped the ball just before it was about to hit the green teen. Robin and BB realised this and took their hands away from their eyes and stared at the ball. Suddenly, the ball exploded.

"Shit!" Robin called out, shielding his eyes again. "Damn, she's really pissed off!" He groaned.

The now deflated basketball sat dead at BB's feet. Beast Boy looked down at the deflated ball, then clenched his fists. Robin watched on as his friend yelled at Raven. "What did you do that for! That was our last ball!" BB yelled. "You're such a freak, Raven!"

Robin sighed and put his head in his hands. Yet another one of BB's one-sided arguments with Raven. This is how they'd been 'arguing' for years. Beast Boy would call Raven 'freaky' or 'creepy' or something and Raven would stay silent or retaliate using her powers. "Did you have to call her a 'freak', Beast Boy?" Robin groaned.

BB looked over at Robin. "She's a _total_ freak!" He complained. "Why'd she have to ruin the ball for?" Suddenly BB and Robin were splashed with a large wave of water.

"What the f-!" Robin groaned as he looked down at his own arms to see them totally soaked. He looked down at his left leg, which was propped up. His cast was also soggy now. Beast boy had noticed this also.

"Ah, shit, man!" BB exclaimed. "The cast has to get replaced now!"

Robin groaned. He hoped he wouldn't have to leave the tower at all until his leg healed, and now he'd need to go to the hospital again to get it replaced. Robin looked back over at the rowboat. Aqualad was standing up in the rowboat and was waving at them. Raven and Aqualad were too far away for Robin to see if they were laughing or not. But he was mad either way. When Aqualad sent that wave of water over, he obviously didn't think about Robin's plaster cast. "ASSHOLE!" Robin yelled out at Aqualad.

BB had shrunken himself down into a bloodhound and shook himself off the way a dog would. He then resumed his human form. "Come on, dude," BB said softly. "Let's get you to the hospital."

"Yeah.." Robin said sadly. He pushed the toggle on the controls to move the chair, but nothing was happening. "It's not working!" Robin groaned. He pushed the toggle further and the chair still didn't move.

BB walked around the back of the chair. "Oh no, dude!" BB exclaimed. "I remember Cyborg telling me this once.. You can't get electronic stuff wet, yeah?"

Robin slapped his hand to his forehead. "Don't tell me the circuits are fried!" Robin groaned.

"Okay, I won't say it." BB laughed. "But maybe I can push you inside instead," BB offered as he began to push the chair. Sure enough, it started moving.

"Thanks, man," Robin said thoughtfully as he was wheeled towards the door by BB.

"Anytime," BB replied. "Unlike _some _people," BB grumbled, "I actually care about my friends!"

Robin knew BB was just pissed off that Raven and Aqualad's return pranks were worse than their initial one. Robin knew that pretty soon, BB would be his chirpy self again. The guy wasn't one to keep grudges.

Robin and BB remained silent as they entered the tower and reached the living room. The sounds of BB's wet shoes made squelching noises with every step he took. Robin couldn't help but laugh. Soon enough BB laughed too. BB wheeled Robin to the couch and helped him to get up off the now broken wheelchair and onto the couch. "Thanks man," Robin said again.

"I'll go get us some towels," BB explained before walking off.

Robin picked up the TV remote and began channel surfing. Despite being soaking wet, had a plaster cast that was soaking wet, _and_ the fact that he needed t go back to hospital, Robin was in a calm and collected mood. He couldn't get Raven's undivided attention with the basketball stunt. So he'd have to get her attention another way. And Robin had a plan.

"Holey Crap!" Robin heard Cyborg call out behind him. "What the heck happened to you two?! Try to swim to get the ball back?!"

Robin watched as Cyborg walked around the couch and sat next to Robin. "Where's Bumblebee?"

Cyborg smiled as he melted into the couch. "She's gone shopping with Star," he explained. He then raised an eyebrow at Robin. "They're shopping for something for Star to wear tonight on your little date," Cyborg said suggestively. Robin rolled his eyes at Cyborg's suggestive tone. "I dunno what she thinks you can do with that bum leg!"

"Well," Robin replied reflexively, not realising what he was saying, "You'll be surprised how much a guy can do with-" Then Robin realised what he was saying and stopped talking. He blushed a little, hoping Cyborg didn't notice it.

Cyborg raised an eyebrow at Robin again, but didn't say anything. It was as if he were trying to figure out what Robin was on about. Luckily for Robin, Cyborg sometimes had a short attention span. It was then that Cyborg noticed Robin's leg. "Shit! Your cast!" Cyborg sat up and took a closer look at the soggy cast.

By now Beat Boy had returned with three bath towels. "We gotta get Robin to the hospital," Beast boy explained. He handed one towel to Robin, placed one around his own shoulders and then wrapped the third around Robin's cast. To save time, Beast boy went off to call the hospital while Robin explained to Cyborg what had happened to them after he and Bumblebee ran off.

After a few minutes, BB returned. "Okay, I got some good news guys!" He announced as he walked back into the room. "I called the hospital, and because they don't want news crews all over the hospital again, they're sending someone over to set a new cast here. They'll be here within the hour."

--

Robin sat on one of the beds in the infirmary. Getting to the infirmary was an issue. Mainly because Cyborg noticed that the wheelchair he spent days building now needed all its circuitry replaced. Cyborg was not a happy chappy. He agreed to let Robin be pushed to the infirmary in it, but as soon as Robin was seated on a bed, Cyborg ran straight to the garage with it to fix it. Robin heard Cyborg mumbling about strangling Aqualad as he zoomed down the hall, towards the garage.

There was a small TV in the infirmary, and Robin had been given free reign over it. BB was manning the front door for the ambulance to arrive, so Robin was left alone. As far as he knew, Star was still out with Bumblebee and 

Raven was still out with Aqualad. Robin was left all alone to ponder in his own thoughts. He tried not to think about it over the last week, but he wondered why Raven didn't want to talk to him about sleeping together. He also wondered why he hadn't heard anything about Red X's movements. He also wondered why Red X had a sudden interest in Raven too! Being left alone was bad for Robin. His thoughts kept wandering. 'Did Raven go on a date with Aqualad to piss me off? Did she do it to forget about me? To forget about us? How am I going to win her back? 'Back'.. I sound as if I had her to begin with. If it wasn't for that stupid pheromone.. If I go out with Starfire tonight, will it get Raven jealous?' He thought to himself.

"Hello?"

Robin was brought out of his thoughts and looked up towards the door. Starfire had stuck her head in and was looking to see if Robin was in the room. "Hey, Star."

"I heard from Beast Boy that your leg had become saturated from the return prank from Aqualad," She said worriedly as she flew across the room towards him. She landed on the ground next to his bed.

"Yeah," Robin replied. "My leg feels fine, but I don't know if I have to wait for the plaster to set before we go out tonight," he explained. Robin was genuinely concerned about hurting Star's feelings. She'd had a crush on him for years, but he'd never talked to her about it properly. He didn't see Starfire in that way, but after he started randomly feeling for Raven, Robin wasn't sure of his own emotions anymore. All he knew was that he didn't want to hurt the poor girl.

"About that," Star began. She looked down and saw Robin's hand sitting at his side. She picked his left hand up and held it with both her hands. "I thought maybe we could do something else, that is better suited for the condition you are in.."

Robin smiled. She always was concerned for the wellbeing of others. He admired her for that. "What did you have in mind?"

"Well.." Starfire began, but was cut off by the door opening again.

Beast Boy had waslked in with Cyborg, Bumblebee and a nurse. Robin did a double take and realised that she was the same nurse he'd had when he was first admitted into hospital, 3 weeks ago. "Nurse Richards!" Robin exclaimed, realising who she was. "How'd you get conned into coming here!"

The large nurse waddled over to Robin's bedside. She placed her bag on the bed next to Robin's plastered leg. "When your friend rang up about your situation, the staff thought it fitting I come to see you since I'd already been your nurse once before."

"Fair enough," Robin laughed. "Can you patch me up?"

The nurse rummaged through her bag and began pulling out gauze covered with plaster dust, a plastic tub, and a hand held miniature circular saw. "I'll have your new cast on in about fifteen minutes," She smiled as she explained. This woman was the typical cheery nurse. She picked up the miniature saw and unravelled the power cord. She then plugged it into the power socket and it turned on.

Robin was a bit nervous at the look of the saw.

Beast Boy, who'd never had a medical procedure done in his life, took one look at the saw and looked like he was going to be sick. "You're not gonna cut his leg off are ya?" He obviously had never seen how plaster casts were removed.

--

"There," Nurse Richard said, wiping her hands of the wet plaster. "All done!"

Robin looked down at his new white plaster cast. "Thanks," Robin replied cheerily. In all honesty, he was glad that he wasn't with a wet cast anymore, but he was pissed off at the inconvenience of having to get it changed, along with having Star, BB, Bumblebee and Cyborg as his audience.

"Dude!" BB exclaimed. "Why was your leg still black and blue?!"

Robin shrugged. It was pretty scary to see what his leg looked like when the soggy cast came off. He had bruises all up and down his leg, mainly around where his three breaks were. It also scared Robin that he couldn't really move his leg either. He tried not to move it unless Nurse Richards moved it for him, because he wasn't sure if his leg would heal straight otherwise.

"A concrete block landed on him," the nurse replied for Robin. "_That's_ why he's still bruised."

"Oh," BB replied, after being educated on the ways of the healing human body. Nurse Richards smiled at BB's curiosity and then began to pack up her things.

--

Robin was sitting on his bed in his room. After seeing the state his bare leg was in after the soggy cast was removed, it made Robin cringe. He knew he wasn't indestructible, but no part of his body had been badly bruised and broken like that before. It was an eye opener to realise that one is more fragile than they thought. Robin didn't want to think about it, but there was a niggling voice in his head that was frightened of the idea of going back to crime fighting. What if he got hurt even worse? At the same time, he couldn't wait to be all healed up and back in action! He had just over 3 weeks left until the cast was permanently removed.

Robin sighed and lay down on his bed. He had had enough attention aimed at him for one afternoon, which is why he escaped to his room. All the attention from the others made Robin pine for Raven more. Hers was the only attention he didn't have today. Hers were the only eyes he hadn't seen and her lips were the only lips he wanted to see, but hadn't yet today. He sighed and stared at the roof.

Robin must've fallen asleep, because the next thing he knew, the room was dark. Muffled yelling could be heard outside the room. Robin could tell it was Cyborg yelling, from the tone and the deep baratone yelling. However, it sounded as if he were far away from Robin's room, like the living room. Robin, wondering what got Cyborg so mad, decided to investigate. It didn't take a genius to figure out that Aqualad had returned and that Cyborg was blasting him for soaking the wheelchair.

Robin sat up and reached for his crutches. He then made his way to the living room, the volume of Cyborg's yelling got louder and louder as he reached the room. Robin finally reached the living room. The doors were already open and he could see Cyborg practically biting Aqualad's head off and they were surrounded by Star, BB, Bumblebee and Raven. For a split second, Robin felt his heart skip a beat when he laid eyes on the purple-haired Titan. 'Not now,' Robin told himself. 'Need to see what the commotion is first!'

"Look, I didn't know, alright!" Aqualad yelled at Cyborg. "How was _I_ supposed to know the circuits would fry!?"

Steam practically blew out of Cyborg's ears. "You don't add water to ELECTRICAL ITEMS!"

BB had to cover his ears to prevent from his eardrums exploding. Aqualad grit his teeth. "Well _you've _been under water, and your circuits didn't fry!"

"That's different!" Cyborg yelled back.

"Well you built the stupid wheelchair!" Aqualad yelled, trying to get his logic across. "So you'd _assume_ that it would be waterproof like _YOU_!"

That's it. The argument had to stop. "ENOUGH!" Robin yelled. The new voice introduced into the conversation brought the attention of everyone in the room. "We can't change what happened," his voice lowered back to normal, now that he didn't need to yell. "So just get over it." Robin ordered as he hobbled into the room.

Aqualad crossed his arms and huffed. Cyborg didn't say anything either, but he snorted at Aqualad like a bull, the sudden deep exertion of breath heard by everyone in the room. Even though the conversation was over, the tension was still so strong you could cut it with a chainsaw!

Starfire shrugged at her fellow team mates and flew over to Robin. "I hope your leg mends well with the new cast," She smiled.

Robin nodded and gave her a smile back, "Thanks."

She lowered herself down onto the ground. "I am attempting to prepare a surprise for you, as we cannot go out tonight as we planned."

"Look, Star," Robin said nicely. "You don't have to go to too much trouble," he said. He didn't even think he had feelings for the girl, but he also made the decision not to break her heart. Also, he could see Raven over Star's shoulder. Robin felt like using this to his advantage to try get Raven's attention.

"It is no trouble, Robin," Starfire smiled sweetly. "What I have organised requires your attendance on the rooftop in half an hour," she explained.

Robin wondered what Star was up to. "Do I need to bring anything?" Robin looked over Starfire's shoulder and saw Raven staring at him from the darkness of her cloak. He wanted to get her jealous. He just didn't know how yet. He _needed_ to make Raven notice him.

"You need only bring yourself," Starfire replied excitedly. "Please meet me on the roof in half an hour." And with that she flew out of the living room and down the hallway.

Robin stayed where he was. He looked straight ahead at Raven. Her eyes were barely visible under the hood of her cloak. He wasn't sure what to make of her staring at him, but he wanted to believe that she were checking him out and thinking dirty things about him. Cyborg, BB and Aqulad were occupied playing the game station (evidentally Cyborg and Aqualad were friends again). Robin had the sole attention of Raven.

He couldn't think of anything to say to her that wouldn't catch the attention of the others, so he opted to say nothing. Instead, he quickly raised his eyebrows at her and smirked as he turned and hobbled down the hallway to get ready for his date with Star. He'd made it to the hallway, thinking maybe somehow he'd find a way to talk to Raven later that night, but looked like Raven had other ideas.

"Robin, wait!" Robin heard her call out. He stopped and waited as she walked over towards him.

"Wassup?" He asked casually. But he knew she wasn't stupid. She must've been able to sense the emotions emanating from him. Lust. Need. Frustration. Jealousy. Yearning. All the emotions Robin knew he probably should not be feeling, for they might drive Raven away.

"I.. I wanted to see how your leg is doing?" She asked. It was clear that it wasn't what she really wanted to talk to him about.

Robin smiled either way. He finally had Raven alone with him. "You missed seeing how purple and blue it is." He replied. "So how was your date with Aqualad?"

Raven looked away, suddenly finding something on the wall down the hall more interesting. "It was alright."

"So the basketball was the highlight of your date?" Robin teased.

Raven brought her face back to look at Robin. Just as she was about to say something, Robin took the opportunity to do something that his heart had wanted him to do all day. Robin felt as if his brain and all logic had shut off, as his heart caused his hands to reach out and slowly push back the hood from Raven's face. She suddenly seemed to have lost her words as she stood stunned as Robin's hands then made their way to her shoulders. Robin exhaled, as he seemed to be holding his breath as he waited for Raven to push him away. But she didn't move. If anything, she seemed to silently wait to see what he was going to do next. He brought his right hand up behind her head, her straight hair spreading its way between his fingers. Robin wanted nothing more than to pull her in close and make sweet love to her right there and then. But he knew that wasn't about to happen. Instead, he tried to move slowly, in the hopes that Raven wouldn't be startled and run away.

Robin looked deep into her purple eyes for any signs of fear.. or something. But her eyes seemed so.. empty. Robin couldn't read her expression at all. He decided to try his luck. Robin pulled Raven in close. Their lips were almost touching as he felt her warm breath on his bottom lip. His bottom lip brushed with Raven's and he heard her take in a sharp breath in. She was nervous. He was nervous. This was it. All he had to do was lean in closer and she would be his.

"Hey! NO fair!" A squeal came from the doors of the living room. Someone was heading towards them. The noises totally distracted Robin and Raven from what was really happening. He and Raven turned their heads to see what was happening. Suddenly Aqualad, holding the remote from the game station, came storming into the hallway, followed by Beast Boy, who was trying to grab at it. Robin suddenly felt the warmth of Raven's body escape his arms. He looked in front of him again and realised that she'd teleported herself away just as the two male titans came running into the hallway.

Robin waited for BB and Aqualad to run past him before he angrily slammed his fist against the wall next to him. They'd interrupted the first moment he'd had with Raven since they were in Gotham city. He had her so close to him, and then suddenly all his hopes for getting Raven back were sent crashing back down.

..Now he had to go get ready for his date with Starfire. "Somebody kill me now.." Robin grumbled to himself as he hobbled down the hall to his room.

* * *

**Author's notes:** alright guys, I had a lot more intended for this chapter, but it's so long, I've decided to cut it in half! But next chapter has a lot of twist and turns.. so stay tuned! Also, sorry for the uber late chapter, but homework and life got in the way.. I wanted to make this chapter fun also, coz the show always makes me laugh! so don't forget to review! I really wanna know what you all think!


	10. Ch10: Kisses, Jealously and Surprises

**Author's notes: **first of all, apologies for the late chapter! I got writer's block on the last page! The LAST PAGE! Can you believe it! NOO!! And well, I think that when you write a fan fic, people are bound to protest to certain parts or want an enormous amount of particular scenes, but I think that comes with the territory. I am so tempted to defend certain parts of my story and explain my reasons for the rest of it, but I'm using restraint here. All I'll say is I'm trying to write a story on life. Particularly the time Robin spent with a broken leg. Enough said. Thank you all for the amazing reviews and I hope this next chapter is entertaining for ya'll!

**Ch10: Kisses, Jealously and Surprises**

Robin sat at his bathroom mirror. A few days ago Starfire had brought him one of the tall stools from the kitchen for him to use so he didn't have to stand. He'd changed into his baggy jeans and a black shirt that had tiny red pinstripe running down from the shoulders. Robin stared at his reflection. His bright blue eyes were staring right back at him. He tried to figure out what was going through Raven's mind now that he had nearly kissed her. His heart hoped that she wanted it as much as he, but his mind kept cooking up scenarios where Raven was utterly shocked and disgusted by his behaviour.

'Girls..' He thought to himself. 'Seems like only Starfire can be read like a book..' Robin looked at his watch. He had another 10 minutes until he was meant to meet Star, but given his current mobility situation, he had to leave now or be late.

He placed his mask over his eyes and looked back in the mirror. He was about to go on a Valentine's Day date with Starfire, but he couldn't stop thinking about Raven. 'I'm such an idiot,' he told his reflection. And with that spur of confidence, Robin hobbled out into the hallway for his date. He was dreading this.

One thing he did look forward to as he headed for his date was the fact that he'd have to pass Raven's room on his way. His heart fluttered as the door with her name on it got closer and closer. He was now at arm's length with the metallic silver door. He knocked on the door and waited. Robin was moving on impulse right now, and had no idea what to say or do when the door opened.

..He waited.

..A few minutes had gone by now. Still nothing.

..He knocked once more to check. 'Maybe she didn't hear the door?'

..Still nothing. She wasn't here. Or just not answering the door.

Robin shrugged and continued on his way to the staircase that led to the rooftop. He was deep in his own thoughts now. 'Maybe she went out with Aqualad?' He thought. 'Why would she go out on another date with him though? Why would she let me try kiss her then? I have to get her to realise how much I want to be with her.'

Robin reached the staircase. He thought about Raven's scent. He ascended the staircase, step by step. He thought about her deep purple eyes staring back at his as he pulled her closer to him. He reached the top of the staircase. He tried to relive the feeling of her bottom lip brushing with his before they were rudely interrupted. Robin sighed as he shook himself out of his stupor. He stood in front of the door that led to the rooftop. All he need now was to open it.

'What would get Raven's attention more than anything?' Robin asked himself. He'd tried to get her attention a few times already, and nothing had her running to him, or going stir-crazy with jealousy. There was only one thing left that he hadn't done.

'But am I really ready for this?'

Robin took in a deep breath and exhaled slowly. He then brought his hands up to his face and removed his mask. He blinked a few times and ran his fingers over his black eyebrows to make sure they weren't messed up. 'I guess I'm going to have to be ready for the backlash sooner or later,' he said to himself, trying to embrace the decision he'd just made. He was going to show everyone who he truly was. He hoped that his attempt to remove the one secret of his that Raven held onto, and to get a reaction out of her. Any reaction. He didn't care what that reaction was. He looked at his mask in his hand. Could he do this? Was he ready for the others to see the real him? 'To be honest, not yet'. Robin thought about what would happen if he walked through the door and arrived to their date with no mask on. Then he realised, it. "It would make Star think I'm doing something special, for _her_. And I barely want to be here as it is!"

He put his mask back on, leaving it for another day to come out of the secret-identity closet.

Robin took one more deep breath and then opened the door. Robin hobbled ungracefully out onto the rooftop. What he saw made his jaw drop. A picnic rug had been placed on the ground, with a picnic basket, bottle of wine and two wine glasses. Starfire stood staring out at the view of the harbour. When she realised he'd arrived, she turned and smiled at him.

"Hi," Robin greeted nervously.

"Hello, good friend Robin," she greeted back. Star had dressed into a pink floral summer dress with a pink cardigan over the top. The girl sure loved pink.

Robin looked back over at the picnic she'd set out. "Wow, Star," Robin exclaimed. "You didn't have to go to so much trouble.."

"It is no trouble at all," She said sincerely. They both sat down nervously and began their 'date'.

They ate a dish that became one of the only dishes that Star could master during her time on Earth. Spaghetti Bolognese. The night was warm, as it never snowed in February in Jump city. The night was cloudy, but the spotlight on the far side of the rooftop gave them enough light to see their meal and each other.

Robin figured he might as well go on this date with an open mind, since he still hadn't even had a decent conversation with Raven since they left Gotham city. If it took him 5 years to realise his feelings for Raven, maybe this date would be an eye opener for him. If he found that he had to get over Raven, maybe Star's crush on him could help with that..?

Before Robin knew it, they'd been out on the rooftop for over an hour, talking about their favourite TV shows, funny things that had happened in the past and about fellow teammates. Robin actually enjoyed Starfire's company. However, he wasn't feeling that tug in his heart like he did when he sat with Raven.

'Is there something wrong with me?' Robin asked himself. 'Starfire's a hottie, and I just don't feel anything for her.' He looked over at Starfire. She was the type of girl he grew up always dating. Even though he grew up in the circus, he always tended to go for the cheerleader type of girl; cute and innocent, but when push came to shove, she was quite capable of defending herself. But now, something had changed.

Was it the tiny pheremone bomb that caused him to suddenly feel for Raven? Or was it the tablet that just opened his eyes? He wasn't sure and would probably never find out. All Robin knew was that he wanted to be with her more- especially now that he was so rudely interrupted as he tried to kiss her earlier.

"Robin?"

He was so deep in thought that he must've missed the last thing she said. He's had a good time with Star, but only in the way that two friends can have. "Hnn?"

"I wish to ask you something, on a more personal level than our previous conversations," she asked. This is where Robin usually choked on his own tongue, as everyone knew Robin rarely talked about personal things.

"Er.. Sure.." Robin replied, his voice suddenly went high pitched at the end of that sentence. He was nervous. Does he break Star's heart? Does he tell her how much he wants Raven?

"As it is Valentine's Day, and we are on a date.." She began. "Is it not customary for us to kiss?"

Shit. How was he going to get out of this one with his balls still attached?

"Um, I think sometimes it's customary, but I think it depends on how far along the relationship is," he said quickly, trying his hardest to get out of it.

Star nodded at his response and stared out at the harbour again. Robin did the same, figuring he'd gotten out of it. They were both sitting next to each other on the ground. Legs outstretched and leaning back on the palms of their hands. Suddenly, Robin felt something brush over the fingers on his right hand. Robin looked over his shoulder to see Star's left hand was now atop his. He looked back up at Star to say something to her, but Starfire had other plans.

Before Robin had time to process anything, the moment he looked up from the sight of his and Starfire's hands touching, his date had leaned forward and pressed her lips to his. Robin was in such a shock, he didn't do anything. But when Star continued to kiss him and began to push her tongue down his wide open mouth, Robin found that his body began to respond to being kissed. Everything was working on instinct as his lips began to move with Starfire's. A little voice in his head told him to stop kissing Star and push her away because he wanted Raven instead. But at the same time, Robin figured that maybe if hooking up with Raven made him realise how much he liked her, maybe kissing Star might make him see if he really did like Raven.

After what felt like minutes, Starfire finally broke the kiss and pulled back. Her eyes were half-lidded and she smiled sweetly at Robin. He had seconds to think about what had happened before Star would say anything. He thought about what had just happened. He kissed Starfire and he didn't feel a thing. Robin felt lustful, but that came with the male need to get laid. But he realised that he didn't get that spark that he felt when he tried to kiss Raven earlier.

"Raven," Robin said softly as he looked down at the floor. He didn't want to give Star another opportunity to kiss him before he could say to her what he wanted to say. "I have to be honest about tonight," He said, almost ashamed about what he was going to say.

Star sat up on her knees. She looked worried. "Is it something bad?" She asked, concerned after seeing the look on Robin's face. He was so tempted to save her all the trouble and just say to her 'I am gay'.

"The thing is, when I said I'd go out with you tonight, I didn't realise it was Valentine's day, and I just assumed that we were going to go to the movies as friends." Robin hoped that this would help turn her down in the gentlest way. "So I didn't want to hurt your feelings and so I came out with you anyway," Robin looked back at Starfire, as he owed it to her to be honest and to look her in the eye. "And I thought that maybe I could find out today if I felt anything.. towards you.." Robin was getting nervous now, and it was getting harder for him to get his words out.

"And what did you discover on our date?" Star asked. Robin felt sorry for her. The look in her eyes showed that she was hoping that he'd discovered feelings for her.

He had to be honest. "It's nothing to do with you, Star. But I kinda like someone else."

Star nodded and looked back out at the harbour. He wasn't sure how hard she was taking this news. If she took it personally, she was really good at hiding it. They sat silent for a moment, all the while Robin stared at Star, trying to figure out what she was thinking. "Did you meet this woman in Gotham City?"

He wondered what made her randomly ask that. Then again, he'd never mentioned a love interest before his visit to Gotham City. He looked back out at the harbour, satisfied that Starfire will be okay. "Yeah, you could say that."

"How did you meet?" Star's voice was soft.

He'd been totally honest so far, but there were some things Robin wasn't yet ready to let loose. "We were friends from way back, and my going back to Gotham City kinda opened my eyes to her in a way."

Star nodded at his explanation. They sat silently for a few more minutes. He figured the date was over now. It was getting late and Robin still had to find the time to go find Raven.

"Robin..?"

"Yeah?"

"I wish you and this new woman all the happiness in the world."

"Thanks, Star."

--

Robin looked at his watch. It was just after 10:30pm and he and Star were making their way back to the living room. Star was quiet, and Robin wondered what Star was thinking and if she was going to be okay. But at the same time, he was preoccupied with finding Raven. Robin had left Star to carry the picnic basket and blanket as he needed both hands to hold his crutches so he could get down the stairs.

"We are so putting in an elevator now," Robin joked.

Star had stayed by his side and walked down the stairs at the same pace as he. He looked over at her and she smiled sweetly back at him. After a lengthy amount of time walking down the staircase, they finally made it to the living room. When they got there, Cyborg and Bumblebee were seated on the couch, Cyborg with his arm around her shoulders. On the far side of the room, in the kitchen was Raven and Aqulad. Aqualad was seated on the kitchen bench, and Raven seated on the stool at the bench. Each were drinking hot drinks from matching blue mugs.

"Hey, guys," Robin greeted as he and Star entered the room. Cyborg waved from his position on the couch and Bumblebee nodded at them also, before returning to the show on the Tv in front of them. Starfire began walking over to the couch to watch TV also. Aqualad replied to Robin, "Hey, how was our date?" Robin noticed that Raven looked over at him as Aqualad asked the question. 'I'm sure she's interested to hear the answer to that..' Robin thought to himself.

Robin didn't know how to answer it because he didn't think it was really anyone's business because he didn't want to embarrass Starfire. Robin saw Starfire in the corner of his eye. She had already reached the couch and had seated herself down. He wasn't sure if Star had heard the question asked. "It went great," Robin replied. He needed to change the subject, for Star's sake more than his own. "Where's Beast Boy?" Robin asked, now walking over to the kitchen bench and sat himself down on a stool next to Raven. Raven now had Aqualad seated on the kitchen bench on her left, and Robin on the stool next to her on her right.

"The furball said something about going to see a movie because things here were getting too 'mushy'," Aqualad replied. Suddenly the movie 'Jaws' had started on the television. Aqualad noticed this and practically leapt off the bench. "My favourite movie!" He exclaimed before running off to the couch, leaving Robin and Raven alone in the kitchen.

Robin smiled on the inside. He had Raven alone. In a way. Raven still had her back to Robin as they watched Aqualad run over to the couch. "Your date abandoned you," Robin whispered jokingly.

Raven turned to look at him. "He's not my date," She replied in her blunt, stoic voice. Robin knew her well enough to know she was being shy. He wanted to get a reaction out of her. He _needed_ to get a reaction out of her. "Did you two kiss?" He asked, raising his eyebrows suggestively at her.

Raven looked away from Robin. Her hood wasn't over her face, so he could see a slight pink tinge forming on her cheeks. "Wouldn't you like to know," she replied stoically.

Robin looked over Raven's shoulder and saw that all the others in the room were preoccupied with a widescreen shark attacking a boat. He didn't have to worry about anyone seeing his actions. 'Perfect'. Robin reached over and placed his fingers under Raven's chin. He turned her head around to face him. "Actually, I _would_ like to know," he whispered suggestively.

Raven blushed even more. "Well, I.. er..." She was at a loss for words. Suddenly, she pulled her head back, to free her chin of Robin's fingers. "Don't, Dick," She said quietly. Robin panicked at the use of his real name and he looked over her shoulder again to see if anyone had noticed. Rest assured, no one had.

"Don't what?" Robin asked, "You have to know by now that I.. like you.." He said, stopping on the last words for a moment because he found it hard to say. He shifted his knee under the bench so that his knee was now touching Raven's.

Raven sighed. "I know," She whispered. "I picked that up.. a few times," She said, looking away at the last bit. Robin was sure she meant the few times she sensed his sexually charged emotions aimed towards her. "But, it's more complicated than that," She whispered.

Robin leaned closer towards Raven, wanting to hold her tight and never let go. But he knew it wouldn't happen in the middle of the living room. He didn't know how complicated she felt their relationship could be, and he didn't want to get into it in front of the others. He needed to change the topic. He leaned closer to Raven. "Can I kiss you?" He whispered.

He expected Raven to get up and run away, as that's all she'd seemed to be doing lately. But instead she sat still and seemed to be thinking about it. 'I might actually have a chance here!' Robin thought to himself.

But fate, as it would seem, was not kind to Robin tonight (for the second time).

Beast Boy came storming into the living room, carrying a small crate. "Dudes!!" He called out, announcing his entry. "You will not believe what was sitting outside our front door!"

Robin, Raven and all the others turned to see what BB was talking about. Sure enough, a wooden crate, approximately two feet wide and two feet high was being carried across the room in BB's arms. The titans all got up from their respective chairs and walked over to BB to see what it was. Their green friend had walked over to the dining table and placed the box on top of it.

Robin took a little longer than the others to reach the dining table, but he was just as intrigued as the others nonetheless. As he got to the table, Beast Boy was already ripping off the black envelope that was stuck to the side of the crate.

"Raven," Beast boy announced, looking at the mysterious envelope. "It's for you," he said, handing the black envelope to Raven. Robin took a look at it from over Raven's shoulder. Sure enough, Raven's name was written in bold red on the front of the envelope.

"Aqualad?" BB asked, "This from you?"

Aqualad raised his hands up, palms out, in a defensive position. "I wish it was, but I didn't send this.."

Robin continued to watch over Raven's shoulder. She turned the envelope over and sealing the envelope was a red wax 'X'. Robin knew what that meant. Red X had sent Raven something. The only thing was 'What the hell  
did he send this time? Last time it was.. "Oh shit!" Robin exclaimed, remembering what Red X's last 'present' was.

Robin and Raven must've had the same idea at the same time. They both looked up at the box at the same time, to see BB pulling the wooden lid off the crate.

"Beat Boy!" Robin and Raven called out in unison. "Noooo!"

But it was too late.

Robin watched on as Beast boy opened the crate. Suddenly a burst of pink dust flew up from the pink roses in the box into BB's face. "Get down!" Robin called out. He knew he'd never get away on time. Cyborg grabbed Bumblebee and dropped to the floor. Aqualad bolted towards the couch, pulling Starfire with him. Robin tried to hobble backwards, but instead he felt Raven's hands wrap around his waist. Before he could realise what was happening, Raven had used her powers to create a black shield around Robin and herself. Robin watched on as BB rubbed his eyes of the pink dust. Robin prayed that he was wrong and that it wasn't a burst of the pheromone. He figured Raven was thinking the same thing, because she was still hugging Robin and the shield was still surrounding them both. Robin was aware of the fact that Raven was still hugging him, but he was more preoccupied with the surprise package to do anything about it.

The other titans were slowly coming out of their hiding places under the dining table and from behind the couch. But Robin and Raven watched BB to see what his reaction to the pink dust, to be sure that their fears were brought true. Beast Boy's eyes seemed to suddenly glaze over and become wide as he looked around the room excitedly. By now the others were on their way back to the dining table to see what was going on.

"Stay back!" Robin called out. "Beast Boy might be affected by the pheromone!" He warned.

"What the heck are you talkin' about?!" Cyborg asked.

"Yeah!" BB exclaimed. "There's nothing wrong with me!" He explained, placing his hands on his hips. "And even if I _was_, it doesn't mean.." Someone had caught BB's eye. It was Starfire. She was hovering just above the ground behind Aqualad, still dressed in her summer dress and cardigan. "Yo, Star.." BB said drowsily.

"Shit," Robin grumbled. He felt Raven jolt next to him, as if she'd silently giggled at his observation. They both obviously knew what was to come next.

Starfire looked at BB anxiously from over Aqualad's shoulder. "Um, yes..?"

"You're looking hot.." BB said as he suggestively raised his eyebrows at her. "Come here!" He called out as he leapt over the table and lunged towards Starfire. Starfire squealed as she flew backwards, trying to get away from Beast Boy's outstretched arms.

Beast Boy attempted to get around Aqualad to get to Starfire, but Aqualad had other ideas. The aquatic titan stepped in BB's way and put his arms on his green friend's shoulders to stop him. "Cut that out, furball!" Aqualad yelled out. Beast boy seemed to not be listening to Aqualad. He seemed to not even notice that Aqualad was holding him back from getting to Starfire. Aqualad shook BB to try knock him out of his stupor. "Hey! Wake up, Beast Boy!"

It was then that BB finally looked away from Starfire and looked at Aqualad. Then, before anyone had time to process what was going through BB's head, the furry green titan shrunk down to the size of a small fluffy dog and he began to hump Aqualad's leg!

Robin had begun to laugh, thankful that he was secure within Raven's shield. But as he laughed, Raven brought down the shield. "Hey!" Raven yelled. "Remember we said no more humping peoples legs! So get off!"

Cybrog cringed at Raven's comment. "Er.. I think he _is_ getting off.."

Robin began to laugh hysterically at Cyborg's comment. He was happy to sit back and watch, even though he knew full well who these pheromone-covered flowers were intended for Raven. He'd worry about that part later.

Aqualad had had enough of trying to shake the green dog off his leg. "Don't make me get the hose!" He yelled. But Beast Boy clearly wasn't listening. "That's it!" Aqualad yelled. He flew his hands up in the air and summoned his powers to control water. Water began to pour from the tap in the nearby kitchen and flowed through the air and all over Beast Boy.

The sudden splash of cold water did the trick. Beast Boy, still a tiny pooch, removed himself from Aqualad and began to shake himself of the water. Before he could soak the rest of the Titans and infecting them with essence of wet dog smell, Raven formed a shield around the tiny green dog. "What are we going to do about the humpster here?" She asked bluntly. BB was now running excitedly around in circles within the black sphere he was confined in.

"Can we sedate him?" Bumblebee asked.

"I guess we could.." Robin replied. "But do we need to resort to drugging him? Can't we just confine him to his room?"

"Yes!" Aqualad agreed enthusiastically. "Let him hump his _own_ things.."

Robin turned to Raven, "Can you transport him to his room and make sure the door is locked?"

Raven nodded and teleported herself and the horny dog away.

Once Raven was gone, Robin noticed Cyborg staring at him with his arms crossed and one eyebrow raised. "So.." Cyborg said suggestively, "What _really_ happened in Gotham City?"

Robin was taken back by the sudden intrusive question. "What?"

Cyborg was smiling now, as if he knew something the others didn't. "We know that Red X used the pheromone on Raven that one time when it was in the papers.. But what else did we miss?"

Only sex, dance and the realisation of love. "Nothing!" Robin said a little too quickly.

Suddenly, Raven came walking back into the room.

"So Raven," Cyborg said with a massive grin on his face. "Robin's been tellin' us about what really happened in Gotham City.." Raven shot Robin a death glare and Robin shook his head nervously. "So something _did_ happen in Gotham!" Cyborg exclaimed. "I knew it!"

Raven, now realising that Cyborg had set her up, shot her cybernetic friend a death glare also. "Nothing happend," She groaned.

"Well ya'll seemed to know a lot about this pheromone as soon as BB opened the box.." Cyborg replied slyly.

"I've dealt with it before when I used to live in Gotham," Robin replied in a-matter-of-fact voice.

Cyborg did not look impressed by the explanation. "Uh-huh.." he said unenthusiastically.

Robin wasn't sure what Cyborg was getting at with this sudden line of questioning.

"Dude, I saw the looks on yours and Raven's faces when Beast Boy opened the crate," Cyborg explained. He may be a goofy character, but he was certainly inept when it came to things like this. He had Robin and Raven at a loss for words with his sudden observation. "So what really happened over there!?"

Robin couldn't exactly tell them what he and Raven got up to in Gotham city. But then he also knew he had to give them something to end this conversation. "Red X kissed Raven!" Robin said a little too quickly. Raven's jaw dropped. Robin could see it in the corner of his eye, as he didn't dare look at her. Just by saying it, he knew he'd royally pissed her off. He could also see her clench her fists and turn to glare at him. It was now that Robin turned to look at her with a sorry look on his face.

"What?!" Aqualad exclaimed. He obviously hadn't seen the news reports about Raven and Red X having an intimate moment in Gotham City like the others had.

"Hold up," Bumblebee said, leaning on one leg and tipping her head to the side. "Raven and Red X?"

Raven was gritting her teeth so much that Robin thought he could hear the grinding. "It's not like that.." Raven growled.

"Well obviously this dude has a crush on Raven," Cyborg said calmly, pointing a thumb at the large crate that was intended for her. But suddenly his demeanour changed and he became wildly shocked, "But you didn't tell us that RED X KISSED YOU!" He yelled. Cyborg seemed to be the only one who's reaction was wild and extroverted. Bumblebee, Aqualad and Starfire seemed to be stunned, standing silently with their mouths wide open.

"I was affected by the pheromone," Raven growled.

Robin bit the inside of his lower lip. He'd pushed all the attention onto Raven and he was sorry for it. He knew how much she hated having all eyes on her. He wondered why he said what he said. He needed to get Cyborg off the topic of Robin and Raven, and the potential things that may or may not have happened in Gotham city.

"So, did anything else happen that we need to know about?" Cyborg dared to ask.

Robin looked over at Raven, planning on saving her from the rest of this conversation. But before he could say anything to reply, a black mist surrounded Raven and she yelled, "NO!" And with that, she teleported herself out of the room.

"Touchy," Bumblebee said, seeing Raven's sudden exit.

"I do believe we.. touched a nerve.." Star replied. And she was right. It was all Robin's fault this happened, and all because he couldn't avoid Cyborg's line of questioning.

"Yeah.." Robin said softly. "Let's just let this slide, okay?" He asked the others sincerely. They all nodded in reply and parted their separate ways.

--

It had been two days since the incident in the living room. Beast Boy had spent the night humping everything and anything in his room and woke up quite embarrassed of his actions. Aqualad and BB had an argument about opening presents which aren't addressed to you. Robin figured that Aqualad was just shitty that he had his leg humped.

By now the Titans East had left Jump City back to their home. Robin was glad for the peace and quiet this brang, It gave him time to think. Robin felt bad for Raven and angry at himself for drawing all the attention on her. He had no right to tell everyone that Red X kissed her. If Raven hadn't told them herself then it wasn't any of their business. They all knew that she was a private person, and he violated her trust by bringing it to everyone's attention.

Raven hadn't left her room for two days now. The others didn't seem to mind, as this was typical Raven behaviour. But Robin noticed that she didn't even leave for meals.. at least while he was in the room. He needed to go talk to her. He needed to tell her how sorry he was. He _needed_ to see her. He'd tried to keep himself from going into her room, in the hopes that she'd come out herself. But by the second day, he'd had enough. Watching TV and tuning his motorbike did nothing to take his mind off the purple-haired siren.

Robin was in his black basketball shorts and red T-shirt. He was dressed for bed and was hobbling on his crutches from the living room back to his bedroom. He hadn't decided to actually go check on Raven until he passed her bedroom door. He found himself stopping outside her bedroom door, his hand held up, ready to knock. He wavered for a moment, unsure of how she'd react when he went in. But he needed to see her, so he knocked.

..No answer.

"Raven?" Robin called out through the door.

..No answer.

"Raven, I'm coming in.."

Robin opened the door. As usual, her room was dark and smelled of incense. He hobbled inside and closed the door behind him. He figured that the best way to apologise to Raven was to talk to her face to face, with no barriers in between. And so, he removed his mask.

"Raven?" Robin called out again.

..No answer. Maybe she'd gone out without him noticing?

Robin looked around her room, and couldn't see Raven anywhere. It was then that he saw to his left, her bedroom door was slightly ajar, and a crack of light streamed across the floor. Robin quietly made his way over to the bathroom. "Raven?" He asked again, as he pushed the door open.

It was then that he saw her. She was sitting on the side of the bathtub in her black underwear and grey singlet top. She looked like she'd been crying. "Raven, are you alright?" Robin asked as he made his way over to her. Raven had finally noticed him, and Robin finally noticed what she was holding. A pregnancy test.

Raven looked up at Robin, her eyes were red and tears poured down her cheeks. "I'm pregnant."

--

**Author's notes:** dum dum daaaah! Omg!! MWAHAAHAH! Don't forget to review! Bitch wine, love it hate it, I wanna know wat you think! Cya!


	11. ch11: It's just surprises all 'round!

**Author's notes:** wow! Some of your reviews are just so.. WOW! And that's in both a bad and a good way. What's happened to reviews these days? A bunch of you are not actually 'reviewing' the chapter (what they like/dislike/what they think) and are going straight to telling me what to do and write! Seriously peeps.. I cant help but get defensive when I say that that if you want a story full of sex, drugs etc.. go read a different story. I'm trying to write a story of substance here (but that's not to say I haven't planned for some of these themes to come up later). And for the record, whatever does/doesn't happen to Raven and her baby is something I'd had planned for my story for the last month. Sorry if I'm crabby. Please read and enjoy :)

**Ch11: It's just surprises all 'round!**

"I'm pregnant," Raven cried. Robin blinked a few times, trying to process what she had said. He hobbled over to the tubside and sat down next to Raven. She was sobbing quietly. These weren't tears of joy. Robin was in shock over the sudden news. He thought about what all this meant. Was the baby his? How were they going to tell the others? Would Raven have told him if he didn't happen to walk in on her?

Robin had too many questions to even know where to begin. Instead, he sat beside his friend and pulled her into his arms. Raven melted into his arms and began crying uncontrollably into his chest. "Shhh..." He soothed. "It'll be okay.."

"Will it?" Raven sobbed. "I don't know what I'm going to do!"

Robin wanted to help Raven. He wanted to be there for her. But how was he going to find out if the baby was his. Of course the baby was his. Raven hadn't been with anyone else... Had she? Robin began stroking Raven's hair. She was still crying. He'd never seen her like this in all the years they've known each other. Even when Trigon tried to destroy the world through her, she hadn't cried.

"I wish we never slept together.." Raven sobbed quietly. She may have said it out of shock, or she may have said it in honesty. Either way, her words hurt Robin to the core. He felt the total opposite. He was glad they slept together because it opened his eyes and he wanted her more and more each day.

He couldn't help replying softly, "You don't mean that.."

"I do.. I really do," Raven cried even harder now. "I'm not one of those girls who just randomly sleeps around.."

Robin hugged her tighter without even realising it. He didn't want to lose her. "But we both know that these weren't normal circumstances.." Yes, the baby was his. He didn't know why, but tears began to well in Robin's eyes. He was shocked, but at the same time he couldn't help but think what this meant; a young mini-Robin crawling around the mansion. Dick Grayson was going to be a dad.

"I know," Raven replied, she pushed herself away from Robin and sat up straight. "I don't expect anything from you, and.."

Robin had to stop her there. "I want to be there for you, Raven," Robin explained, taking her hand in his. "Whatever you need, I'll do it."

"But.." Raven was trying to push him away again, but he wasn't going to have a bar of it.

"My parents died when I was barely in my teens," Robin began. "And I loved my parents. I don't want my kid growing up without the same love my parents gave me." Robin now took both Raven's hands in his. He looked into her deep purple eyes and said with total honesty, "So please let me do this for you."

Raven paused for a moment to think about it, before smiling at him behind teary eyes. "Okay," she whispered. "Because I don't believe in killing an innocent life."

"Same," Robin replied. His parents (if they were alive) wouldn't allow him to consider an abortion. It seemed to please Raven to hear Robin wasn't going to ask her to 'take care of it'.

Robin smiled and hugged Raven again. "It'll all be okay," Robin reassured her. "Can you imagine a baby titan crawling around the Tower?" He asked, "He'll have my hair and your eyes," he explained, trying to cheer her up. He hated to see her cry.

Raven snorted a laugh in his shoulder. "We'll enrol him in karate while I teach him magic," Raven continued.

"He?" Robin asked.

"Well, boys are easier to bring up than girls."

"I was a circus acrobat," Robin explained. "Our daughter is going to be bouncing off the walls," He joked.

"We're going to have a boy," Raven stated, noticing Robin's choice in the baby's gender.

Robin giggled, "We'll see."

They sat silently for a few minutes, feeling totally relaxed in each other's arms.

"Robin..?"

"Yeah?"

"How are we going to tell the others?"

She was right to be worried. Her belly would be showing in a few months, and the other titans would be asking a lot of questions. She was already worried as hell about being pregnant. He didn't want to worry her even further. He didn't want to worry himself with it either. "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

This new twist in Robin's life was certainly an unexpected one. As they sat quietly, Robin thought about his relationship with Raven. He secretly hoped that this baby would bring he and Raven closer together. But right now, Raven needed him to be there for her and to support her in this. And that's what he planned to do wholeheartedly.

"I'm sorry I told everyone about Red X kissing you," Robin finally remembering why he walked into her room to begin with.

"It's not important now.." Raven replied.

Robin nodded. They'd been sitting on the tubside for a while now. "Come on," Robin said softly. "Let's get off this tub."

Raven gave a 'hmm' in agreement. She got up from the tub's edge and helped Robin up too until he could steady himself with his crutches. "So.." Robin began as they began walking into Raven's dark bedroom. "Where does that leave us?"

Raven stopped walking for a moment, taking the time to think about his question. "You're the father of my baby," She replied calmly. "Let's just leave it as that for now."

Robin was disappointed, but at the same time he was satisfied with that answer.. _for now_.

--

He stayed with Raven atop her bed until she fell asleep. He watched her pale porcelain face and wondered why, in all their years fighting crime together, he'd never really noticed just how beautiful Raven was.

'I wonder if this baby is going to bring us together, or drive us further apart..' Robin thought to himself. Realistically, he knew Raven could only be a few weeks pregnant, and that the reason why people don't announce pregnancies before the first 3 months are passed is because during the first 3 months it is easy to lose the baby. He remembered when he was still at the circus with his parents and brother, the lion tamer lost her baby within the first 3 months. He was only 9 years old then, and his mother had to explain to him why the lion tamer was so sad. And Raven probably wouldn't have told Robin that she was pregnant if he didn't walk in on her and the pregnancy test.

He looked back down at Raven. He knew she was and was always going to be a private person. But he wished she would tell him why she didn't want to be with him or talk to him about how they slept together in Gotham City. Robin was seated upright in her bed, leaning his back against the bed head. Raven was fast asleep now, her head resting on his good leg. His eyelids were getting heavier. He remembered that originally he was on his way to bed when he decided to visit Raven's room.

Robin slowly and softly shuffled off the bed, careful not to wake Raven from her peaceful slumber.

When he got back to his room, he walked over to his bed and sat down, thinking about the moment where he saw Raven sitting on the tubside in her bathroom, with pregnancy test in hand.

"I'm going to be a dad.." Robin said to himself. "I'm going to be a dad!" he laughed to himself. It was scary that he was so excited about it.

--

Robin was in a good mood when he woke up the next morning. Last night he found out he was going to be a father. He woke up with a smile on his face. He couldn't help it. He had dreamt about the future and all the possibilities a baby could bring to life at the tower. He knew he was probably getting ahead of himself, but he couldn't help it. He knew that the first three months of a pregnancy were dangerous, but he couldn't help it. He knew he was probably too young to start a family at 19, but he couldn't help it. He was in a _really_ good mood.

Raven had let him hold her and comfort her last night. And he felt that maybe, just maybe, there would be hope for the two of them and their new baby.

He sat up in bed and looked out the window. In all the excitement, he forgot to close the blinds in his room before going to bed last night. The sun was shining in and he saw that it was a beautiful day outside. He felt like going out.

Robin shuffled to the edge of his bed and picked up his crutches which were leaning on his nightstand. As he reached for his crutches, he saw on his clock radio that it was only 8am. The others were all known for sleeping in, so Robin figured he'd be the only one awake. He knew that if he went out dressed as Robin, the press would be all over him and his broken leg. "Time to introduce Richard Grayson to Jump City, I think," Robin said to himself. He left his mask on the nightstand as he got up and got dressed in his civilian clothes.

--

Robin found an open cafe, with seating positioned out onto the sidewalk. He hadn't been able to go out for a decent coffee in weeks. Nay, it'd been years since he went out for coffees as Richard Grayson. It felt liberating to be walking down the street without recognising him. Robin hobbled over to an empty table and sat down, leaning his crutches up against the table. The cafe looked out onto the road, with the beach on the other side of the road. It was a beautiful view and Robin didn't know why he hadn't gone out without his mask years before.

Robin ordered a coffee and two slices of raisin-toast for himself and the waitress brought it out pretty quickly. He was in a good mood and he was happy to take his time to drink his coffee. He looked out at the beach. It was a warm day, and if he had the use of both his legs, Robin was sure he'd be walking through the sand with his shoes off.

"As I live and breathe.." Robin heard a familiar male voice. "Richard Grayson in Jump City.."

Robin's eyes widened when he realised who it was. "Jason?!" Robin gasped when he saw none other than Jason Todd/Red X standing in front of him in a black business suit and a deep red tie. "What the hell are you doing here you snivelling son of a-"

"There's no need to be snooty," Jason cut Robin off, his demeanour totally cool and calm. "Mind if I sit?" But he'd sat himself down next to Robin before he could answer.

"I should have known you were back in Jump City when the flowers for Raven arrived a few days ago," Robin explained.

"Oh," Jason said with a sly grin. "So she got the flowers?"

Robin wanted to lunge over at his old friend and strangle him because he was sitting so calmly that it was pissing Robin off. "No. She didn't. We destroyed them before you could cause more damage," Robin sneered.

"Damage?" Jason laughed. "Come on, Robin. I wouldn't do anything to hurt you.. or Raven. She's a beautiful girl.. It's a pity she has eyes only for you," Jason smiled.

Robin didn't know what to say in reply. He just glared at Jason instead.

The waitress came over to their table, having noticed the new arrival. Jason ordered an ice coffee and the waitress walked off. Jason looked back at Robin to see the death glares he was getting. "Why are you s angry with me?" Jason asked.

Robin huffed. "Oh, I dunno. Maybe it's because you stole my Red X suit, tried to steal xenothium, then you kissed Raven, then you keep trying to dope Raven up with these pheromone bombs!" Robin growled softly, as so the other surrounding civilians don't hear him.

The waitress brought Jason his ice coffee and then left again. "You know me, Dick. Whatever I do is all in good fun."

Robin snorted. "You trying to justify being selfish?"

Jason snorted back. "No. But now that I've left the circus and am living my own life, I have to start looking out for myself. Wouldn't you do the same?"

"Not by stealing and destroying lives."

Jason stirred his long metal spoon through his ice coffee. He appeared calm and collected, but Robin knew him better. Robin knew Jason well enough to know that he was busting to go and do some thrill-seeking activity. Jason Todd was never known for sitting still. "A guy's gotta do what a guy's gotta do. And why are you against everything I do anyway?"

"Because you're a thief, and everything I am now is to stop people like you."

"No.." Jason replied, "Your job is to beat the bad guys. _I'm_ not a bad guy," Jason explained. "I just do bad things, but ultimately I'm a good guy. I could be fighting crime like you, but I can't be stuffed."

Robin wanted to believe what he was hearing. At the same time it was so easy to believe that his old friend Jason had gone bad. "Uh-huh," Robin said sarcastically, crossing his arms.

Jason stopped stirring his ice tea. "Seriously, what have you got against me, Dick? We're two old friends, sitting down and having coffee together, so what's your deal?" Jason challenged him.

It wasn't what Robin expected to hear. It sounded like Jason almost wanted to be friends again. He wondered why he _did_ have a grudge against Jason. He was so surprised when he found Jason in Gotham city, but after the last week or so of having thought about how Jason was Red X, all his past grudges against Jason came up. "You told me to leave the circus!" Robin growled suddenly.

Jason stared blankly at Robin for a moment, barely registering that his old friend was pissed off with him for something that happened years ago.

Because he'd obviously left Jason speechless, Robin began to explain himself. "When my parents died, I wanted to stay at the circus. Your dad said he'd adopt me. But you told me to go with Bruce Wayne instead!" Robin explained. "You were like a brother to me," He said, feeling hurt and wishing he'd never brought up the topic to begin with.

"You think I told you to go live with Bruce Wayne 'cause I didn't want you around?" Jason asked. He clearly wasn't enjoying this conversation anymore. "Is that it?"

Robin felt foolish for sulking over an old topic, when things worked out well for him when he left the circus. "Your dad was going to adopt me!" Robin growled, trying to not cause a scene by raising his voice. "Why would you try and push me out of-"

Now Jason cut Robin off. This conversation was clearly affecting him emotionally too. "Social services rejected dad's application to adopt you."

Robin wasn't prepared for this bombshell. It was the last thing he expected to hear. "What?"

Jason leaned his elbows on the coffee table and clasped his hands together. "Remember when I sat with you at the wake?" He asked. Robin nodded. "Commissioner Gordon was going to have you taken into foster care that night if you rejected Bruce Wayne's offer to adopt you."

Robin's jaw dropped. Everything he believed about Jason on their final days as friends was the total opposite of what Robin believed to be the truth. He was left speechless.

"I had to tell you to leave because I knew Bruce Wayne would be able to give you a good life." Jason was looking down at his ice coffee as he said it, ashamed of his own past behaviour. "We've both heard how bad foster care can be. I was trying to help you.." Jason finally looked at his friend.

Robin's jaw was still wide open. He was flabbergasted with the revelations that Jason had let out. So was Jason still his friend now that he'd adopted Red X's persona?

"Like I said," Jason said, glaring at Robin. He pushed his chair back and stood up. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a few bills. "I'm not your enemy. I never have been."

Robin frowned at his friend. "So then, _friend_, how do you expect me to behave around you and your life of crime?"

Jason laughed at this. "Do what you gotta do, Dick." He replied. "And I'll do the same." And with that, Jason walked off, leaving Robin alone at the roadside cafe.

"Shit." Robin grumbled to himself. He certainly had a lot of thinking to do. He wasn't in such a good mood anymore. He finished off his coffee and decided to hobble down to the beach to calm his nerves.

--

Robin, feeling a newfound freedom as Dick Grayson, spent the day in the city. It gave him the time to put his life into perspective. It was after dinnertime when he returned to Titan tower. He had a great day, despite running into an old friend and new enemy.

He hobbled up the stairs, not really paying attention to the lengthy amount of time it took for him to get up the stairs because he was in such a good mood. He was going to be a dad, and his childhood friend tried to rekindle their friendship. What wasn't there to be happy about?

Suddenly, the alarm sirened. "Trouble!" Robin exclaimed as he tried to get himself to the living room that little bit faster. Robin totally forgot that he had yet to show his alter ego to his team mates when he walked into the living room.

"Intruder!" Robin heard BB yell. He quickly looked to his left to see his green friend spear tackling him to the ground.

Robin groaned as his body fell to the ground. The impact caused a shooting pain to run its way up his broken leg. "Beast boy!" Robin yelled. "It's me!"

Beast Boy leaned back to get a better look at his unmasked friend. "Robin?"

By now, the rest of the titans had walked over to see what the commotion was.

"Good on ya, Robin!" Cyborg congratulated as he helped Robin get back up off the ground. "It's 'bout time you showed us your real self."

"I guess.." He said nervously. Robin figured that he would never be totally prepared for his teammates reactions when he finally unmasked himself to them. Then again, Raven and Cyborg had already seen him without his mask.

"You look so... different!" Beast Boy explained, studying Robin's face. Finally seeing Robin's bright blue eyes and long black eyebrows.

"Wearing a mask will do that," Raven said bluntly. BB poked his tongue out at Raven in response.

Star, who's jaw had been dropped to the floor until now, noticed the smirk on Raven's face. "Why are you not surprised, Raven?" Starfire asked.

"Do you think we walked around Gotham City in our Titans uniforms the whole time we were there?" Raven asked with all seriousness.

The others could almost see the cogs turning in Starfire's head as she thought about it. "I guess I did not really think about that.."

"So that old man who answered your communicator when we called.." Cyborg began. "Was he your grandpa or something?"

Raven snorted to prevent from giggling at the assumption that Alfred was Robin's grandfather. Everyone turned to look at Raven, after her unusual display. "We don't have time for this anyway," She said, looking up at the roof to see the red lights were flashing and they'd wasted a good few minutes talking to Robin when they should be out fighting crime. "We can discuss Robin's 'coming out' later. We have crime to fight," Raven explained.

"Right!" Cyborg said enthusiastically. "Titans GO!" He yelled as they all ran out of the living room. All except Robin and Raven. They both stood mere feet away from each other. Raven was staring at him. Robin was staring back at her for staring at him. She still had a smirk on her face, as if she had a secret she hadn't told yet.

"What?" Robin said, feeling self-conscious.

Raven walked over towards him, still smirking. She placed her right hand on his left cheek and admired his face. Robin was taken back by how lovingly she looked at him. He had never seen her like this (when not under the influence of the pheromone).

"Raven, I.." He tried to say something to make things less uncomfortable for him, but Raven cut him off by pressing her soft lips onto his own. Robin was taken back at first, trying to register that this was the first time that Raven had actually kissed him. It wasn't Robin kissing Raven. Raven had actually moved in on Robin and kissed him!

Robin wrapped an arm around Raven's waist, hoping this would never end. But Raven broke the kiss. He looked into his bright blue eyes. "I miss seeing you," She said before taking a step around him and walking towards the door.

Looking back, Robin should have kept his mouth shut, but Raven's impulsive kiss had his mind going haywire. "Raven," Robin called out. Raven turned around to see what he wanted. "Don't go."

"What?" She asked, not sure what would make him stop her from crime fighting.

"I don't want you out there when you're pregnant."

Robin wasn't exactly sure what to expect when he said that to her, but it seemed to just slip out. He wanted her with him, in his arms. Maybe he said it because he couldn't be out there to protect her. Maybe he said it because he was just stupidly drunk on love. Either way. He said it.

And it made Raven furious.

"How dare you," She growled at him. "I'm not some wench you can keep indoors at your beck and call. I'm perfectly capable of fighting crime."

Robin instantly regretted what he'd said. _Of course_ Raven was capable. But he was so excited over the possibility of being a dad that he wanted to protect his baby at all costs. "Please, don't go," He said sincerely.

"What's gotten into you?" Raven asked.

Before Robin could explain, Cyborg's voice could be heard over the loudspeaker. "Hurry your ass up, Raven. Mad Mod's downtown and we gotta go kick his butt!"

Raven looked back at Robin. "I'm going. Don't you dare order me around again." Her voice was spiteful. Robin had never heard her talk to him like that before. Sure, she used to talk like that to BB when they first formed the Titans, but that was until Beast Boy started to grow on her. However, she'd never spoken to _Robin_ like that before.

He'd pissed her off royally. Now he had to make up for it if he was going to get Raven back.

**Author's notes: **For the record, I hate this chapter. Because I've been so busy with uni & life, I literally wrote it by typing it on my sidekick2 every time I got stuck at a red light while driving to uni for the last 2 weeks. So I don't think it really flows. Anyways, don't forget to review. As for Raven's baby, I know where it's gonna go, but as this is 'the Robin story', it's all about Robin's journey into manhood. Thanks for reading. **I promise the story is gonna get better**but I fear that massive uni assignments are bogging my artistic spirit down!


	12. ch12: Mending my broken pride

**Author's notes: ** I began to read my story from the beginning and I realised I've forgotten to include the fun carefree lives of the titans.. so I've tried to bring that back this chapter..  
Okay.. You guys are gona read this going "what's raven's deal!?" but I PROMISE you that you will have answers before this story has ended. I have plans, my pretties.. and these answers will come all in good time.. MWAHAHH! But keep an eye on the background characters.. I haven't forgotten about them completely! Red X will be making an appearance in coming chapters.. Robin's halfway thru his 6weeks.. keep in mind, anyone who cant move one leg will be going CRAZY by now! Red X will make an appearance in later chapters, so will Slade. Somewhere in there I plan on bringing back the Titans East.. but for now. READ ON! Don't forget to review!

**Ch12: Mending my broken pride**

Robin sat on the couch, yet again, watching TV in the Titans' living room. He was all alone, except for the fact that Raven was meditating over by the window on the far side of the room. Robin couldn't help but look at her every now and then. That spot where she levitated from, looking out the floor-to-roof glass windows into the harbour, was one of Raven's favourite spots to meditate.

It had been a few days since Robin pissed Raven off. Since then there'd been an onslaught of crime that the Titans (minus Robin) had been attending to, without Robin. He'd spent most of his time doing some serious couch-time and it was making him bored and antsy coz the others were out most of the time. He also hadn't had the time to even talk to Raven to tell her how bad he felt about making her angry.

Now was his chance. Cyborg was in the garage building Robin a new motorised wheelchair, and Starfire and Beastboy were out.. somewhere.. He was alone with Raven. He wondered if she could sense him staring at her. He couldn't stop thinking about her, and he wished for nothing more than to just be with her, in a healthy romantic relationship. But life threw so many curveballs at him that he didn't know what he'd done to deserve such karma. Robin placed the TV remote next to him on the couch and he reached for his crutches. As he stood up, he looked over at Raven, just to make sure she was still in the same spot she was in a second ago. Yep, she was still there. He made his way over to her as quietly as he could, as he felt that letting her know that he was walking towards her might scare her away. Robin hobbled up the couple of steps that stood in his way. He stopped heading towards her when he was standing next to her.

He stared at the back of her cape. She had her hood on and her cape covered most of her body. Robin knew she was a secretive person, but now that he knew what she really looked like underneath all that dark clothing, he wished she wouldn't hide herself so much. Then again, wearing a skin-tight leotard didn't hide very much. Robin reached up and pulled Raven's hood off her head. She had her eyes clothes and was still meditating.

Robin smiled sheepishly when he saw her crack one eye open to look over at him. "What?" She asked bluntly.

"What's it going to take for me to make things up to you?" Robin said. He figured he might as well get straight to the point, instead of dancing around the subject.

This time Raven opened both eyes and looked over at him, still in her levitated state with her legs crossed. "I'm not mad at you."

"Then why do I feel like I'm not allowed near you?" Robin replied.

He was being totally honest, but whatever he'd said had caught Raven's attention. She lowered herself to the ground and turned to face Robin. "What do you want from me, Robin?" Raven asked, crossing her arms.

Robin laughed. He couldn't believe she was actually asking him this. Hadn't he made it obvious? Maybe he was better off just saying it to her instead of beating around the bush. "I want to be with you, Raven." He saw Raven react to his words. He wasn't sure yet if the reaction was shock, hurt, excitement, or what.. "I want to be your boyfriend. Haven't I made it obvious?"

Raven started to blush. She looked to the right, as if something on the floor next to them was more interesting. He could tell that for some unknown reason, she couldn't look at him. "We can't, Robin," She said softly. Robin's first instinct was to ask her 'why not?' but he remained silent. Raven looked like something was really bothering her. She looked like she was suffering from some serious inner-turmoil. "Not now.." She said before teleporting herself away.

Robin wondered what was bothering Raven so much that she couldn't even look at him. There _was_ the having sex with him while under the influence of a drug, becoming pregnant and having Robin and Red X _and_ Aqualad all showing interest in her all at the same time.. Robin realised that she must be going through a lot right now. He couldn't help the fact they slept together. And he already told her he'd support her through the pregnancy. All he needed to do now was prove to Raven that he was the guy for her.

Robin smiled to himself. He was going to win Raven over. He could see it in her eyes as he told her he wants to be her boyfriend. She loved him too , but something was holding her back.

--

Robin looked at the calendar he had hanging on the wall next to his bedroom door. He had circled the day he broke his leg, along with the day he was due to have his cast removed. He was told that he needed the cast on for 6 weeks and looking at the calendar, Robin realised he was just over half-way through this 6-week period. It had been 3 weeks and two days since he had the annoyingly white cast placed on his leg. It had been 3 weeks of bathing on the tub side with a sponge, 3 weeks of getting a sore right knee because he was using it overtime, and 3 weeks without practicing his martial arts.

Robin was getting antsy because he couldn't work out. He felt like he was losing his ninja skills because he was sitting around all day every day. It was Tuesday morning and that was the morning when the Titans all worked out in the gym together. Robin knew he pretty much couldn't do anything, and it pissed him off. But he went down to the gym anyway, feeling that maybe if he were there, he might actually be able to do something.

When he got there his eyes almost popped out of his head! Cyborg was firing his sonic cannon at Raven, who had her black shield up. Robin panicked at the sight of his teammates in a random battle and tried to call out to them to stop. But Beast Boy jumped in front of Robin with his hands waving, "It's okay, Robin!" Beast Boy explained. Robin looked to his left and saw Starfire sitting on a bench-seat, and the empty spot next to her showed that she and BB had both been playing spectator. "Robin said she could beat Cyborg, even if he used his cannon," BB explained. "So they decided to test her theory."

Robin looked over BB's shoulder and saw that Cyborg and Raven seemed to be head-to-head. The white light from Cyborg's sonic cannon had almost engulfed Raven to the point that Robin could barely see her and her shield. He knew that Raven was just playing with Cyborg. She could easily throw him around with her powers, but she was remaining stationary with her shield up as he blasted at her.

"You're going to destroy the gym!" Robin called out. Cyborg stopped firing his cannon at Raven and in turn, Raven lowered her shield. They both turned to look over at Robin. "At least let's take this outside!" Robin commented with enthusiasm. He needed some social stimulation after sitting bored in the Tower for the last week and a half.

Cyborg put his hands to his hips and smiled. "Well alright!" He said in agreement. "Let's go!"

Beast Boy and Star were practically out the door and headed to the outside training area before Robin could turn around 180 degrees with his crutches. As Cyborg walked past, he gave Robin a pat on the back. Robin smiled at his friend, "See ya down there," Robin said enthusiastically.

In reality it was going to take him a good ten to fifteen minuted to hobble all the way downstairs and to the training arena outside. Robin sighed and turned around to face the door. He had almost forgotten that Raven was still in the room, standing somewhere behind him. "Need a hand?" Raven asked.

Robin looked over his shoulder and saw Raven standing a few feet behind him . "You offering to teleport me?" He asked, knowing full-well what she was asking.

Raven nodded. "I want to battle Cyborg already, and you'll keep us waiting if I don't help you," Raven explained in her low raspy voice. She had a slight smirk on her face.

"Okay," Robin said, turning to face Raven. "But only if you hold my hand as we go," Robin smiled cheekily at her.

He hadn't realised he'd caught Raven off-guard with his small negotiation. She looked down at his ungloved hand. Since breaking his leg, he hadn't worn his uniform. However, he was still wearing his mask.

Raven looked back up at Robin and smiled right back. "Only if I can see your face again.."

Robin's heart skipped a beat. Despite Raven being so hard to get the other day, he was going to take every opportunity that he could to show her that he loved her. He leaned his underarms into his crutches, to support himself, as he brought his hands up to his mask and removed it. He then looked back into Raven's eyes and watched her.

Raven seemed to be in her own world. He watched as she seemed to be studying every curve of his face; the crease of his lips, the slight stubble of his jaw, his bright blue eyes contrasting against his black eyebrows. Robin couldn't resist asking Raven, "What are you thinking?"

This seemed to snap Raven out of her little world of checking out Robin's handsome face. "Nothing important," She smirked. "Your hand please," She said jokingly as she held out her own hand for Robin to take. He held up his part of the bargain, now it was her turn. Robin placed his mask back on and took Raven's hand.

He wanted to take full advantage of his alone time with Raven while he could, and while she was in the sharing mood. "Wait!" Robin said quickly, knowing that Raven was about to teleport them.

"What is it?"

Before he could allow Raven to even object to his actions, Robin quickly leaned forward and pecked Raven on the lips. He wished he could have kissed her for a lot longer, and with more gentleness, but he knew her. He knew she might have stopped him. He needed to show her he loved her, and this was just the first step in his plan to win her over.

Raven looked at him, stunned, as Robin stood upright again and smiled, "Okay, let's go."

--

Robin sat at the control station on the far side of the training ground at the base of Titans tower. Raven and Cyborg had already battled one another and it was decided that Raven had won because her powers couldn't be penetrated using Cyborg's sonic cannon or his punches. Beast Boy and Starfire were now battling one another, and their fight had taken to the skies as Beast Boy transformed into a pterodactyl to fly after Starfire.

Robin looked over to his right, looking at Raven who was watching the fight before them. "They laugh too much," Raven commented, knowing that Robin was looking at her. "They don't concentrate on the fight."

She was right, Robin decided. Beast Boy and Starfire were giggling and laughing at each other as they attacked each other.

"They're just having fun," Cyborg replied. Robin leaned back in his chair to look over at Cyborg, who was sitting on the other side of Raven. "You should try it some time, Raven," Cyborg laughed as he punched Raven on the shoulder jokingly.

Robin laughed at the sight of Raven cringing as she was jokingly punched by Cyborg. "I _do_ have fun," She growled. She always got defensive when the others challenged her 'fun' activities (reading, meditating and so on).

Raven glared at Robin for laughing. "If you didn't have a broken leg, I would kick your butt out there," She challenged as she tipped her head towards the mock-battlefield. Starfire just squealed at being pounced on by Beast Boy in monkey-form. Robin smiled at Raven. He could see over her shoulder that Cyborg was listening, while pretending not to. "We all know I'd kick all your butts.. and _have_ all at the same time," He replied, referring to the time when he was acting as Red X all those years ago. It wasn't a proud moment of Robin's life but he had already worked around the guilt from that day to finally be able to joke about it.

"Hey, that was different!" Cyborg yelled, making his presence in the conversation known. "You were using _totally_ different weaponry when you were Red X! So that doesn't count!"

Robin laughed. "It does _too_ count! Not my fault you're a sore loser!" Robin laughed as he yelled at Cyborg.

"Sore loser?!" Cyborg yelled back. "If you weren't crippled, I'd kick your big butt right here, right now!"

Robin argued and laughed with Cyborg about who could defeat who in a fight and under what conditions. All the while, he noticed Raven sitting back quietly, smiling at the argument that was happening around her. Robin knew she wasn't as reserved as she used to be before the saga when Trigon tried to use her as the portal. Since then, he'd noticed her slowly opening up without being so fearful of her powers.

Suddenly, Starfire squealed. Robin, Cyborg and Raven all stopped what they were doing and looked up. Beast Boy had flung Starfire towards the control station they were sitting behind and Starfire hadn't been able to stop herself as she flew towards them at high speeds.

"Watch out!" Cyborg squealed as he threw himself off to the side. Robin reached over and grabbed Raven's hand as he watched Starfire head towards them. He grabbed Raven in the hopes that she'd realise that he wanted her to bring up a shield around them. Oh Geeze! Star was about to crash into them. Robin, at this very moment hated his cast with an infuriating passion right now. He was left totally helpless and unable to dodge the pink-loving alien as she headed towards him and Raven. Thankfully, Raven brought up her shield at the last second, enveloping her and Robin. Poor Starfire was left like a bug on the windshield as she crashed into Raven's shield.

"I _do_ have fun," Raven said stoically as she watched Starfire slide down off the shield with a goofy look on her alien face.

Robin looked over at Raven. She was trying to prove a point to Robin. She was messing with him by making him panic as she brought her shield up at the last second.

Beast Boy landed on the ground in front of them and resumed his human form. "Er... So is the game over?"

--

The titans were out fighting crime.. Again. This left Robin time to think and put his life into perspective. Right now, however, this wasn't possible because his knee was itchy and he couldn't get to it under the leg-length cast. Robin tried tapping the cast, hoping the vibrations would ease his itchiness. However, that didn't work. He needed to get his mind off how itchy he was as he banged his hand on the cast above his knee.

He needed to think about something else. Raven's pregnant. Okay, let's think about that. Robin said he'd love and support her through it and give her anything she needed. Robin thought about that for a moment. He realised that if his parents were alive, he'd ring them straight away to tell them the good news. But obviously, he couldn't do that. Bruce and Alfred were is family now. He knew why he hadn't called them yet. It was because he knew they'd react in the same way that his biological father would react; They'd be happy for him, but push for him to marry Raven because that's what gentlemen do. Sure, the circumstances weren't the normal 'boy knocks up girl' situation, but Robin couldn't help but wonder.

Why _didn't_ he propose to Raven? He loved Raven. And she seemed to love him back. And now they were about to have a child together.

Feeling almost instantly like proposing was the thing to do, Robin got up off the couch. The itchiness had long gone from his mind as he began to plan. He obviously needed a ring. He wouldn't propose without one. His mother, if she were alive would tell Robin to make sure the situation was a romantic one, before actually proposing to her. With a broken leg, he couldn't get down on one knee either. That he couldn't help.

Robin smiled to himself. Could he do this? Propose to Raven? The idea of it just felt so.. right..

He began making his way over to the large double-doors of the living room when suddenly he heard a loud bang and the sounds of hurried voices in the hallway. The others were back, and it sounded like something was wrong. "Guys?" Robin called out as he opened the doors and headed into the hallway.

"Robin?" Beast Boy called out, hearing Robin's call.

"Yeah!" He replied, "What's happening?!" Robin couldn't see them yet because he was still making his way over to the corner or the corridor.

"Raven's hurt, dude," Beast Boy replied. Robin turned the corner and saw a worried Beast Boy waiting for him to catch up. "She took a hit to the gut.. and she just.. doubled over in pain.."

'The baby!' Robin thought to himself. "Where is she?!" He asked, trying to speed up his pace down the hallway. He caught up to BB and they were both now walking at a fast pace down the hallway.

"Cy carried her to the infirmary," BB replied. "The wierd thing is, I thought I saw her bleeding.."

This really had Robin worried. He didn't say anything because he was too anxious with what he'd see when he reached the infirmary.

**Author's notes:** okay that was A LOT shorter than I usually write, but since I have a lot to write, I've split what was intended to be one chapter, into 2 chapters. What I had planned and what my fingers typed were totally different! Now, keep in mind, this is what I had planned from the beginning! Onward thru the foggy cliffhanger and don't forget to review! My uni semester is almost over so Fingers Crossed I can have 2 more chapter up before I leave for Europe for a month!


	13. ch13: broken dreams and new ideas

**Author's notes: **First up – MASSIVE APOLOGIES! I was MEANT to write a new chapter months ago before I went on my one-month europ contiki tour (great holiday- thanks for asking) but I got so bogged down I didn't get time! So now im back I'm trying 2 get my ass into gear! I've hit a bit of a block coz ive kinda left my whole life behind on my eurotrip so bear with me as I get my story back into perspective. Im trying to make it more carefree but I gota write a couple of deep (and dramatic) chapters first.. also im doing something a lil diff this chapter, coz I feel ive been neglecting the other 3 titans.. so there's a little part of the chapter reserved just for them. Enjoy.

**Ch 13: Broken Dreams and New Ideas**

Robin's heart was beating a mile a minute. He could barely breath, fearing what he'd see when he and BB reached the infirmary.

They finally reached the door and Beast Boy held it open for Robin to pass through first. Robin looked across the room and saw the partition around the far bed was closed. "Raven, you have to let me help you!" Cyborg was saying with urgency.

"No!" Raven screamed out at him. "I don't need your help!"

Robin saw Starfire leaning against the wall, crying. Beast Boy went over to tend to Starfire, as Robin got to the far bed and pulled the curtains away. Raven was sitting up on the bed, her legs crossed as she doubled over in pain.

Cyborg noticed Robin's entrance. "Robin, she-" He began, but Robin cut him off.

"Everyone out!" Robin ordered.

Cyborg, their designated medic, wasn't about to let his patient, who was bleeding all over the bed, out of his sight! "But Robin!"

"Out!" Robin yelled. He looked over at Cyborg with all seriousness. "Please," Robin pleaded with his friends. "I promise everything will be alright.."

Cyborg's eyes narrowed at his shorter, black-haired friend. Cyborg didn't seem to buy into Robin's vague explanation, but he was their leader for a reason. "Fine," Cyborg replied in all seriousness. "But I'll be back in two." And with that, Robin and Raven were alone in the infirmary.

Robin turned his attentions to Raven. She was bent over her legs, crying in pain. He'd never seen her like this before and it scared him. Robin grabbed her by the shoulders and sat her up so that she was looking at him. "Why didn't you go straight to the hospital?!" Robin whispered with urgency.

Raven looked up at him, tears streaming down her face. "The baby.. " She whispered, "I thought I could heal myself.."

Robin could see blood had seeped into her leotard between her legs. "This is bad, Raven." Robin said, stating the obvious. "Come on, teleport us to the hospital and we'll get you some help."

Raven shook her head. "I..I don't know if I can.."

Robin wasn't going to let Raven give into the pain. "I know you can do it! Now come on." Robin must have said something right because he felt himself and Raven teleport to the hospital. Raven had teleported them in the middle of the emergency ward of Jump City Hospital.

Their sudden arrival in front of the nurses station had gained the attention of the staff who came running to their aid. Raven, unable to hold herself up, fell onto Robin, and he struggled to hold himself and her up, while holding onto his crutches at the same time. "Somebody help!" Robin called out, despite the fact that the nurses and a doctor were already headed towards them.

"Nurse Richards," Robin said to the staff headed towards him. "If she's here, I want her to help us!"

The middle-aged nurse and doctor held Raven up, to help Robin out. "We'll try find her for you, Mr. Robin," The doctor said, obviously realising it was Robin even though he wore his mask with casual civilian clothes. "But first, tell me what's happened."

Raven's secret had to come out to save her life. He knew she'd probably be mad later, but it had to be done. "Raven's pregnant. She took a big hit to the gut and started bleeding," He said as fast as he could. He had to be straight and to the point or their help could be delayed. The nurse called over a tall male intern as Robin was explaining. The intern picked up Raven in his arms and carried her to a nearby bed.

Robin followed them and watched as the doctor inspected Raven's vitals. "Is she going to be okay?" He asked.

Being a superhero and a celebrity didn't get Robin any special treatment as they ignored his question. "How many weeks pregnant is she?" The doctor asked as he used his stethoscope to check Raven's heartbeat. Raven was out cold on the bed, and Robin couldn't stop staring at her. "Um.. A few weeks I think," He replied, trying to do the math. "I know it's still early but she took a pregnancy test a few days ago because she was worried that.."

Robin was unable to finish his sentence because the nurse had begun to usher him out of the room. "You'll have to wait outside, Mr. Robin." Robin didn't like feeling helpless, and now he had to leave Raven's life in the hands of the medical staff of Jump City Hospital. The nurse closed off the curtain and Robin was left with nothing to do but find himself somewhere to sit and wait. He didn't want to wait in the emergency area because he still wasn't supposed to let the public (and possible villains) that he was injured. Also because sitting with the general public would cause many people to ask him a lot of questions that he wasn't prepared to answer. Instead, he found a chair from an empty room and brought it out to the corridor and waited.

He watched helplessly as doctors and nurses ran in and out of the room. He couldn't hear what was going on, but after a few minutes, Raven's unconscious body was being wheeled out of the tiny curtained-off area and towards the emergency surgery area. Robin was tempted to get up and follow, but he knew there was nothing he could do. And so he sat and waited for what felt like hours.

He looked at his watch. Half an hour had passed and still no word. Robin stared at his cast and in his boredom, began to pick at the plaster on his cast. Suddenly, two feet had stood next to his chair. Robin looked up and saw that those feet were attached to a familiar face.

"Robin?"

"Nurse Richards!" Robin greeted, as he tried to stand up. "How is she?!"

Nurse Richards didn't smile. "She's stable, but there are a few things I need to talk to you about," she replied with a solemn look on her face. "Before I get myself a chair, here's something we found in Raven's pocket."

Robin saw Nurse Richards hand him Raven's Titans Communicator. He took it from her and she walked off to find a chair. As if, suddenly knowing that Robin was holding the communicator, it rang. It was Cyborg on the other line. "Hey Cy," Robin greeted stoically.

"Dude! You better have gone to the hospital, otherwise I'm gona kick your skinny butt!" He yelled over the communicator.

Robin nodded in reply. "I made Raven teleport us to the hospital." Robin saw nurse Richards heading back towards him, pushing a desk chair on wheels. He told Cyborg how he was about to talk to Nurse Richards and that he'd call them back when he knew something. He then hung up and placed the communicator in his jeans pocket.

"So, Robin," Nurse Richards began as she sat herself down. "The doctor's preliminary examination found that things don't look good for Raven's pregnancy. They've taken her into surgery now to stop the bleeding and depending how things go, she may need to stay overnight for observation." Robin just nodded in response. The middle-aged nurse sat up straight in her chair and sighed, before leaning forward again. "Do you know who the father of the baby is?" She asked softly, to make sure no one else could hear. Robin nodded, not wanting to give much away. Nurse Richards had become quite trustworthy, but the superhero life made Robin very cautious about who he allied himself with, for _their_ safety.

Nurse Richards, realising Robin wasn't going to talk about who the father of the baby was, continued talking. "_Whoever_ the father of the baby may be... They need to understand that the loss of a child can be a very difficult time for both the mother and father of the child. I need you t explain to the father that Raven's going to be going through a very rough time if this baby doesn't survive. And it is important to support her through this."

Robin nodded at Nurse Richards' explanation and wondered if she could see right through his thick black mask. He wondered if she could tell he was the father. "I'll be sure to pass on the message," Robin replied. "When can I go see Raven?"

The large nurse looked at her watch. "I'll go see how things are and get back to you." And with that, Robin was left alone in the corridor for over an hour.

Robin waited in the hallway for an hour before a doctor in his mid 30s with light blonde scruffy hair approached him. Robin picked up his crutches and slowly stood up as he realised the doctor was heading towards him.

"How is she?" Robin asked.

The doctor seemed reluctant to answer Robin, instead asking, "Are there any of Raven's family members that you can call?"

Thinking about it, Robin knew doctors would generally only talk to family when things weren't good.. Well her father was the devil and her mother was killed years ago. "I am her family!" Robin replied, a little more forcefully than he intended. He knew the doc would have no idea about Raven's roots, but not being told about her health was pissing him off. He saw that the doctor was a little taken back by Robin's small outburst. He took a deep breath and repeated with a more calmed tone, "The Titans and I are Raven's family."

Hearing Robin's sincerity, the doctor nodded. "Well then, I'm sorry but there was nothing we could do to save Raven's baby.."

Robin felt like he knew it all along that there was nothing the doctors and nurses could do to save his child. But hearing it still shocked him. He sat himself back down when he heard the news. Everything he'd begun to hope and dream about had come crashing down. He found himself asking the doctor the first thing that came to mind, "How's Raven?"

"She'll be fine. She needs to stay overnight for observation. You can take her home first thing tomorrow morning."

"Can I stay with her tonight?"

--

Robin stood outside Raven's room. He was nervous and didn't know what to expect when he walked in. The doctor warned him about how a young mother who's lost her child might react, but Raven was unpredictable at times; especially during emotional times.

Robin took in a deep breath and pushed the door open. Raven had been given a private room, and it looked like Robin's room when he first injured his leg. Raven was curled up on her right side and staring off into space. "Raven?" Robin said softly, announcing his entry into the room. The bright white light emanating from above Raven's bed seemed to only emphasise the fact that the light cream coloured room was a definite contrast to the dark colour Raven was usually associated with.

Robin hobbled around the bed until he was standing right in front of Raven's face. She was still staring off into space. Robin stared down at her, unsure of what to do in a situation like this. All he knew was that he hated seeing Raven like this and he felt hopeless for not being able to help her. Her pale complexion was emphasised by the white hospital gown that she wore and the brightly lit cream room did nothing to help the way she looked. She looked like a ghost.

Robin saw that there was a large and uncomfortable chair behind him. His unbroken leg was getting sore from the constant weight it was forced to bear, so he pulled it closer to the bed and sat down.

At the height the chair had him sitting at, Robin and Raven were now staring into each other's eyes. Raven still hadn't acknowledged if she had noticed his arrival yet, as he eyes seemed to be looking _through_ him, not _at_ him. He was told that this would be a difficult time for her, so Robin decided not to say anything yet.

Robin lifted his right hand up and used it to sweep away a few stray hairs out of Raven's face. He then began stroking her hair in an attempt to comfort her, and to let him know that he was there for her without actually saying anything.

'We were going to have a family..' Robin thought to himself. 'And now what? I still want to be with Raven. Will she still want to be with me now? Will life go back to normal without this baby? Do I even want it to go back to normal?'

Robin stopped stroking Raven's hair. He reached down and placed his hand atop of hers as he thought about their current situation. It was then that he began to realise what the doctor was talking about: the grief and loss of 'what could have been'. He was so excited about being a father, and now all those little hopes and dreams that he'd allowed himself to think were ripped away from him; and from Raven.

"I'm glad," Raven whispered.

Robin was pulled from his thoughts when he realised Raven was talking to him. "What?" He asked, completely unsure what she was talking about.

"I'm glad we lost the baby," Raven repeated. She seemed so distant and detached as she said it that Robin was taken back by her almost cold-honesty. He wasn't prepared for those words. The doctors warned him about tears and grieving and mourning. They didn't warn him about Raven turning cold and distant as a method of coping. 

Robin didn't know what to say.

Maybe Raven sensed this from Robin and so she kept talking. "I couldn't bring a child into the world when they were conceived by a drug induced stupor." Raven looked right into Robin's eyes. Tears began to well into her bright purple eyes. "Children should be brought into the world when there's love, hope and people there who love him or her."

It finally dawned on Robin that this was a sore topic for Raven. Especially considering the way she was conceived. He felt stupid for not realising it sooner.

Robin felt so idiotic. No wonder the possibility of having a baby was doing her head in! Raven was conceived outside of love, as an instrument of evil. All signs pointed to her wanting to be loved by someone and then bring a child into the world as a product of this love.

"Raven," Robin replied, stroking her hand with his thumb. He smiled as best he could, despite feeling sad. "I'm glad we lost the baby too." This sentence caught Raven's full attention, and Robin could see it on her face. She wasn't expecting him to say that. So he continued with, "I allowed myself to get excited about having a boy or girl that I could teach karate to, or read to, and so on." Robin found it hard to keep smiling. He couldn't help but feel sad when he voiced how his hopes and dreams were coming crashing down. "But I realised it's not fair to bring a kid into the world outside of a loving relationship."

Raven was staring at Robin's face. He watched her take in his features and the saddened look in his face. "Let me see your face.." She whispered.

Robin's initial reaction was to take his mask off. But then he realised he was in a hospital room with a large window and the possibility of people walking in without warning. He wanted to show her his face, but "I can't."

Being rejected, Raven rolled over so her back was to his. With such a small request being rejected, Robin had essentially pushed her away. Seeing him without his mask had become something special between them. Without the mask, Raven had something that no other person in Jump City had; a unique view and understanding of the person that Robin was.

Raven was looking to him for comfort, by letting her see his face. And Robin had denied her that. He stared at the pale, bare skin of her back that peeked through the ties of her hospital gown. "I'm sorry, Raven." He tried to make amends. "I want to but I can't here in a place like this," he explained.

He continued to stare at the pale skin on her back. He knew it would be completely inappropriate to touch her on her back, and the intimate thoughts of her running through his mind were just as inappropriate. So he settled with trying to concentrate on watching her back as it moved slightly with every breath she took. "It's okay.." He heard her whisper.

The masked teen couldn't help but smile. Maybe things were going to be alright between them after all.

--

Cyborg was mad. He was sitting on the couch, arms crossed, burning a hole into the TV as he watched the channels change. Beast Boy sat next to him, finding nothing on TV to keep him from thinking about the night's horror. Starfire was floating up and down and around the rec room, anxious as the other two to hear from Robin.

It was dark out still. Robin and Raven teleported to the hospital over four hours ago. It was now after 2am and the shows on TV weren't the best selection in the world. Listening to Beast Boy change the channel, then groaning because it wasn't anything interesting, was making Cyborg even madder. He knew that if Robin didn't call soon with some info, he was going to let loose on poor BB.

"I still do not understand why we cannot call them.." Starfire murmured quietly, knowing she'd probably make Cyborg madder, as she'd asked the same question at least 5 times since they last spoke to Robin.

"I'm going to kick his skinny butt if-" Cyborg began to groan when suddenly his communicator began to ring.

Everyone jumped as the ringing sound of the communicator filled the room. Cyborg reached over and picked it up from the couch next to him. "You better have a good reason for-!" Cyborg yelled, but was cut off by Robin.

"Raven's going to be fine.." Robin said sadly. Despite the good news, his voice showed something else.. Sadness? Loss? The others couldn't tell what, or why.

"What happened?" Beast Boy asked, leaning over Cyborg's right shoulder to look at the communicator. Starfire was listening intently over Cyborg's left shoulder.

Robin seemed to look away from them for a moment, as if he were thinking of what to say. "The doc wasn't really forthcoming as we're not immediate family, and there was a lot of mumbo jumbo about female body parts that I told him to keep to himself because it was freaking me out.."

Beast Boy was getting frustrated, "Would you just TELL us already!" He yelled, causing Cyborg to wince as he yelled in Cyborg's ear.

This seemed to knock Robin out of his dazed state. He focussed his attention back on the other three, all huddled together staring into the tiny communication device. "The blow damaged some of her internal organs.. That's all we really need to know. The rest is Raven's business. They're going to keep her overnight for observation and I'm going to stay here with her. I'll call you again tomorrow morning.." Robin could see that the others were about to say something, but he cut them off. "If Raven's well enough to teleport back to the Tower, we'll do that. Otherwise you'll need to come pick us up." And with that, Robin severed the connection.

--

Robin hung up on his fellow team mates before they could get any more questions out. Robin reported all that they needed to know. He couldn't and wouldn't tell them about Ravens pregnancy unless she wished to tell them herself. He put the communicator in his pocket and looked over at Raven. She was huddled on her side, facing away from Robin. She'd been like that for an hour now, in her own world. They'd had their talk about the baby, but one doesn't grieve for five minutes. He too was grieving. It was an ongoing process. Life was going to resume; back to normal. And as easy as it sounded, Robin didn't want that. He didn't want to go back to the way things were before his trip to Gotham City. He still wanted Raven. He still wanted to be with her, and hold her and help her through this.

The lights were off in the room, save for the lamp above Raven's bed. Robin silently walked over to her bed. Nurse Richards had brought in a fold-out cot for Robin to sleep in, just as she had for Raven just over three weeks ago. Only this time, Robin had no intention of using the cot.

He walked over to the bed, hoping and praying that Raven wouldn't push him away in this time when they both needed each other the most. He climbed up onto the bed, sitting himself up next to Raven. He carefully and slowly pulled her by the shoulders towards him, rotating her so she was lying on his chest now. It worked. Raven 

didn't protest. She realised what he was doing and she turned slowly with his aid until her head was resting on Robin's chest.

They remained that way. Robin held his arms protectively around Raven. The room completely silent, except for the sound of Robin turning out the light.

--

Cyborg flung the tiny round device to the other end of the couch in frustration. He hated being out of the loop, especially when he was the team medic.

Starfire sighed with relief. "Thank the gods!" She squealed. "Raven will be okay after all!"

Beast Boy resumed his seat on the couch next to Cyborg and began channel surfing again. "Yeah.." But he didn't seem to buy Robin's obscure explanation either. Starfire was now flying around the room in circles out of joy.

Cyborg leaned closer to BB and whispered, "Did something about Robin seem a bit.. off?"

Beast Boy nodded in response.. he looked as unhappy as Cyborg right now. "I can't tell why though.."

"Oh MY!" Starfire squealed suddenly. Her flying skidded to a halt just in front of the TV, grabbing the attentions of Cyborg and Beast Boy. "I have yet to feel Silky! In all our fighting of crime, it has been days since I last fed him!" She quickly flew out the rec room doors and towards her bedroom.

Cyborg huffed and got up off the couch. "We all better hit the sack. It's late," He said stoically. He was going to try sleep and worry about Raven and Robin tomorrow.

Beast Boy followed suit. He turned off the TV and stood also. "Yeah. You're right."

Suddenly a loud thunderous sound boomed throughout the Tower and the room shook. The looked out the large paned windows that looked out to the harbour. Before the boys could react, they saw a flash of light from an explosion blasted out from a nearby window. From where the blast seemed to come from, they realised that it originated from Starfire's bedroom, and Starfire's limp body was now flying out from the tower and down towards the ocean below.

"StarFIIIIRRRE!" Beast Boy yelled. Before Cyborg could realise that there was an explosion that knocked Starfire unconscious and flung her out into the bay, Beast boy had begun running to the large panelled windows of the Rec room.

Cyborg watched with a wide open mouth as Beast Boy ran through the window, shoulder first, shattering glass like it was nothing, and then turning into a pterodactyl in mid-air to swoop down and save Starfire.

**Author's notes:** damn, that chapter was roasting in my head for months now.. but my fingers had been too lazy to write it! if only my brain could hookup to my laptop.. anyways, yeah hope u guys liked it.. don't forget to review!


	14. ch14: Time for a change

**Author's notes:** Apologies all over again for not writing a new chapter! I've had writers block and add that to having no time to write! I've noticed my stories are taking on a more dramatic tone but I'm trying to get it back to its funny and flirty stage that I had it at before. Don't get me wrong, I still have some 'what the hell!' moments planned. To be honest, I almost decided to stop writing because a lot of reviews coming in keep telling me that they want more Red-x and raven smut (okay not in those words).. But I decided to continue for myself because I have been surprising myself with these chapters... so don't forget to review! I still wanna know what you guys like and don't like- just keep it in a constructive way thanks. P.s. damn I hate raven in this chapter.. I know I wrote her that way but damn that girl shits me because I want her and robin to hook up already!

**Ch14: Time for a change**

Robin opened his eyes. The room was dark. He took a deep breath and rolled over to look at his alarm clock. It had been four days since Raven and Robin returned home from the hospital. The doctors said she was physically fine, but would suffer from soreness from the bruising on her stomach. He wondered how Raven was doing. He saw on his alarm clock that it was barely 6am. Normally he would have gotten up with ease and done his routine morning workout. Unfortunately, due to the cast being on his leg for the last month, he has felt lost without his routine.

Robin rolled on his back and stared at the ceiling. He remembered when he and Raven teleported back to the tower four days ago.

It was lunchtime, yet Raven and Robin both seemed to have lost their appetites. Raven, out of injury, while Robin out of romantic feelings towards his injured friend.

"Well, Miss Raven, we can release you from hospital today provided that you adhere to strict bed rest for one week," said the doctor. Nurse Richards stood next to him with a smile on her face. "To prevent further media attention to this hospital, we've scheduled Nurse Richards to come visit you at Titan Tower in three days time for a check up".

Raven signed the relevant forms and her clothes were given back to her, folded up at the foot of her bed. Raven, still dressed in her hospital gown shuffled off of her white hospital bed. Robin helped by placing his hand on her back, and took her left hand in his. "Thanks," Raven said softly. Moving slowly, like an old woman, Raven picked up her folded clothes and hugged them to her chest.

The situation was awkward. Robin wanted to help Raven, but he wasn't sure what she needed help with. Robin looked down at the clothes. He asked awkwardly, "Do you want me to turn around?" Insinuating she wanted to get changed.

"No. It's okay." She looked up at him, her eyes cold and distant. Her eyes saddened Robin. "Can you please hold the back of my gown closed?" She whispered. A slight blush appeared on her cheeks. She was embarrassed to ask him that, and it was the first sign of emotion she'd shown him in two days. This made Robin happy. He smiled at Raven and hugged her, holding closed her gown with his hands as he wrapped them around her.

He felt the warmth of her body against his. It made Robin want Raven more, as he couldn't resist taking a deep breath, inhaling the scent of her hair. Robin hated himself for taking advantage of the situation. "Let's go home," he said confidently, trying to see the good in the situation- Raven was going to be okay and they were going home.

Raven had teleported them in the hallway of the Titan Tower, right outside Raven's room. To Robin's surprise, they were greeted with a vision of destruction. Starfire's bedroom door looked as though it had been blasted across the hallway, as it's bent and misshapen remains lay against the wall next to Raven's bedroom door. "What the hell..?" Robin commented as he turned around to look down the hallway, trying to hold onto the back of Raven's gown with one hand. As Robin looked down the end of the hallway, he saw Cyborg working at a panel next to Starfire's bedroom. Cy heard Robin's comment and turned around. "Oh, hey!" CY greeted excitedly. He dropped his tools and ran down the hallway towards Robin and Raven. Cy ran up to Robin and hugged him. "I'm so glad you two are back!" He said as he lifted Robin off the ground and placed him back down. Cy then looked at Raven, who was desperately trying to hold the back of her gown closed. "Permission to hug..?" Cy said softly, with a smile on his face and arms outstretched.

Raven rolled her eyes and huffed. "Permission granted.." she groaned unenthusiastically. Cyborg then surprised Raven as he moved in slowly and gave her a hug that was tender and sincere. He let her go and have her a big smile, "Glad to have you back."

As much as Robin didn't mind the tender moments, he was curious as to why Starfire's door looked like it had been blown away from its spot and across the hall. "What happened here?!" Robin asked.

Cyborg rubbed the back of his head nervously. "Yeah.. That.. Well here's the thing," He began to explain. "BB and I were in the rec room when we heard an explosion and saw Star being thrown out of her bedroom and into the harbour. BB slammed through the window and went after her. I ran to Star's room, and.." Seeing Robin and Raven with the confused looks on their faces, Cy cut to the chase. "Well, to cut a long story short.. Star hadn't fed Silky in a few days, with all the crime fighting and all.. Silky chewed through some wiring and short circuited the electric items in her room, which then blew up and she was blasted through the window."

Robin shook his head. Raven asked softly, "Is Starfire okay?"

Cy nodded. "That girl is tough as nails. She's fine. But her room is trashed. She's staying in BB's room for now."

Robin and Raven's jaws dropped. "Beast Boy's room?" Robin said a little louder than intended. "We have guest rooms and.." Then it clicked. "Ohh..."

Raven was just as baffled as Robin. "Starfire and Beast Boy?"

Cyborg shrugged. "Had me baffled too. But let's get you to bed and you can be baffled while you are bed-bound," Cy instructed. Raven nodded. Robin was annoyed that he could not walk with his crutches _and_ hold Raven's gown closed at the same time. He allowed Raven to hold her own gown closed as Cy walked her into her room. Robin couldn't help but feel jealous, as he watched Cy do the job he should have been doing. Robin wanted to be there for Raven. But he physically couldn't.

Robin followed behind them into Raven's room. He walked over to Raven's bed and tried to pull back the covers as Raven walked slowly like an old woman to get a change of clothes. Robin watched as she pulled out a pair of black track pants and a blue tank top. "We'll leave you to get settled," Robin said, getting up off the bed.

"Yeah, we'll get ya something to eat.." Cy added as the two men left the room.

----------

And so Robin lay on his back, staring at the roof of his bedroom. He thought of Raven, his dark-haired beauty that he hadn't spoken to in four days. Other than Nurse Richards' visit, Raven remained solitary in her room. Robin missed Raven. He missed seeing her smile, he missed hearing her voice, and he missed her warm breath on his lips. Robin sighed. He was depressed. Figuring he can't get up to exercise like he usually does, he might as well sleep. And so, Robin rolled over and went back to sleep.

"Robin?... Robin?"

Robin groaned. Someone was in his room. He blinked a couple of times and his vision cleared. It was Raven standing at his bedside, wearing black underwear and a matching black tank top.

"R..Raven?" Was all Robin could stammer as he tried to sit up in bed. "Are you feeling better?"

Raven smiled silently and reached down to grab the end of Robin's doona. Before Robin knew it, she'd pulled them back, leaving Robin exposed in nothing but a pair of green boxer briefs. Robin was nervous, unsure of Raven's intentions, but his mind couldn't help but drift to that place of sexual thoughts and innuendo. Robin watched, speechless, as Raven slowly crawled onto the bed, and on top of Robin. Raven's pale legs now straddled Robin's hips. Robin couldn't hold back the groan as Raven ground down on him. "Raven..!" Robin was silenced by Raven placing her index finger on his lips.

"I'm sorry I keep running away from you," Raven whispered, removing her finger from his lips. "I've been thinking about you these last few days."

Robin felt like he must be dreaming. It was almost too good t be true that Raven would be in his room, opening up to him. "You know I love you, right?" Robin said softly. "I feel so stupid because I think I've love you for a long time without realising it until Gotham City".

Raven leaned down and hugged Robin. Their bodies lay against each other. Robin was in heaven. "I've.. I've spent my whole life keeping my emotions under control," Raven explained. "I.. When I started having feelings for you, I didn't know what to do. I did what I usually do, I shut myself off from the world because it's what I'm used to. I run from my emotions." Her head was resting on his shoulder, but he could still see the worried look on her face.

Robin ran his hand down Raven's hair and down her back. "I'm not the best person at talking about emotions either. But all I can say is I can't stop thinking about you." Robin brought his hand to Raven's face. He loved looking into her deep purple eyes. Robin couldn't help but be turned on by Raven right now. "Let me kiss you," He said, hoping she'd move closer to him and kiss him.

Raven looked at Robin for a moment, and then smiled sweetly at him. She shifted so that she and Robin were now face to face. Robin could feel her bottom lip brush his. He was so close and he wasn't about to let her go this time. Running on pure instinct, Robin wrapped his arms around Raven and pulled her into a tight embrace. Raven moaned as her lips touched Robin's. Robin felt Raven's hands all over him, and Robin wanted to be all over Raven's body, unsure of where to hold her and caress her first. Robin ran his hands up her thighs and grabbed her hips. He wanted Raven so badly. Robin pulled Raven's hips closer to his own and both of them moaned in ecstasy as they ground into each other.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. To Robin's surprise, Raven disappeared in a puff of purple smoke. Had he been dreaming? What was going on?

"Robin?!" It was Beast Boy at the door. "Dude, you in there?"

"Great. Just Great," Robin grumbled to himself. He was hard as a rock right now and he had BB banging on his door. His mind drifted to Raven momentarily and when he realised it wasn't helping him with his situation. He looked down at his green boxers and groaned in frustration. He was sure it was real, and the doona was pulled back. But something about the situation made him believe that Raven never came to his room. She was still on strict bed rest.

"Robin!" BB yelled through the door again.

"Alright! I'm coming!" Robin yelled as he shuffled off the bed and reached for his crutches. Robin was _not_ happy. He put on his mask and headed for the door.

When Robin reached the door, he only partially opened the door, leaving his lower half covered up by the door as he leaned in a way that only his head and shoulder were sticking out from behind the door. "What!?" Robin asked angrily as he startled Beast Boy.

"Geeze! No need to bite my head off!" Beast Boy jumped back a step, hands in the air in surrender. "I just wanted to ask if Star and I can score some holiday time?"

Robin was pissed. The other Titans had seen Robin pissed off before, but they'd never seen Robin pissed because he was horny and denied some loving because he was interrupted before. Robin wanted to punch Beast Boy for interrupting what he and Raven had (or didn't have). "You woke me up so you can ask for a holiday?!" Robin growled. "I'm injured, Raven's injured!" Robin yelled. "If you two leave, who the hell is gonna protect the city?! Do you expect Cy to do it alone!?"

Beast Boy had a look of shame on his face. "Dude, I didn't think.."

But Robin cut him off. "That's right, you didn't think!"

Beast Boy raised his hands up again in defence. "What if I can find two people to cover for us?" Beast Boy pleaded.

Robin was still mad, but he felt for BB. The poor guy wanted some alone time with his new girlfriend, and that's exactly what Robin wanted. "Fine. But you have to run them by me first."

Beast boy smiled and ran down the hallway in excitement. "Thanks man!" he called back.

Robin sighed. If he couldn't get some loving, he might as well let Beast Boy finally get some, even if it was with the last person Robin expected BB to be with! Robin looked down at his green boxer briefs. He looked more presentable now without the tent that had been pitched earlier. Robin went back over to his bed to put on his blue trackpants and black t-shirt.

He wondered if what had happened earlier with Raven was a dream, or if Raven really had entered his room. He was too groggy to tell when Beast Boy went banging at his door. Robin needed to find out, and fast!

Before Robin knew it, he was standing at Raven's door. He took a deep breath as he tried to remember what Raven had said to him about always running from her emotions. Robin realised he'd have to be careful not to scare Raven away with whatever he said. Robin knocked at the door.

"Yeah?" Raven called out through the door.

"It's me. Robin. Can I come in?"

The door opened on its own. Robin took it as a yes, and made his way into the room. Raven was sitting cross-legged, and meditating two feet in the air above her bed. As Robin walked to her bed, Raven lowered herself down and was now sitting on the bed. "Can I sit?" Robin asked, gesturing to the bed. Raven nodded and shuffled onto the bed next to Raven.

"So.." Robin began nervously. "I have to ask you something. And I'm sorry if it's a wierd question".

Raven's eyes widened momentarily and then she blushed slightly. "Did that really happen?" She asked before Robin could even ask her if she'd been in his room.

Robin shifted so he was looking right into Raven's eyes. "So you _were_ in my room?" He asked. "I wasn't sure if it was real or a dream!"

Raven replied, "It _was_ a dream, I think. I don't know what happened. I think I went into your head by accident. I didn't mean for it to happen. I don't even know if it was an astral projection or not.. I've never projected before.."

Raven was feeling sorry for herself. And Robin had no idea why. Robin reached over and placed his hand on the back of Raven's neck. "I'm not sorry it happened. It's the first time I've seen you, or been able to talk to you in a long time."

Raven smiled for a second, then her smile disappeared.

"Why are you still running away from me, Raven?"Robin asked. He felt so stupid for asking it. He realised he would need to be careful what he asked her, in case she ran from him. Raven remained silent, looking at him as if she were trying to read into his deep blue eyes. It was then that Robin remembered he still had his mask on, and so he removed it. "I don't want to hide anything from you, Raven," Robin said softly. "And I have been honest with you the whole way."

Raven nodded and looked away. "I..I've been alone my whole life." She said so softly, Robin wasn't entirely sure if she said it. Robin realised that he would need to take things real slow. He looked down at Raven's hand and took it. His other hand still placed on the back of her neck. Robin saw that Raven was watching him as he brought her hand to his lips and kissed it. "See, I don't bite."

Raven let out a smile at Robin's comment. He took this as his cue and pulled Raven's face closer to his own. He leaned in and kissed Raven softly, but before he could control himself, he was kissing her with the same intensity he had earlier in the morning.

Raven reciprocated. She got up on her knees and leaned into Robin. Robin couldn't believe this was happening (for the second time this morning). He hoped that this would finally be the beginning of his relationship with Raven. Robin was so entwined in his own mind and the things he would love to do with Raven, he forgot all about going slow. He grabbed at Raven's hips again remembering how he ground Raven against himself earlier in the morning. The only difference is this time Raven pulled away.

"I'm sorry," Robin said quickly.

"This is wrong," Raven said, sounding like she were saying it to herself, rather than saying it to Robin. She shuffled off the bed, leaving Robin rock hard all over again. "We shouldn't be doing this!" Raven added.

"What are you talking about?" Robin asked. "What about this is so wrong?"

Raven stood where she was, standing at the edge of the bed. "What about it _isn't_ wrong!?" Raven asked with all seriousness. "Think about it. We're best friends. We were both drugged and slept together. Then we only find out we have feelings for each other because we were both drugged up and high when it happened. _Then_ Red X tried to drug me _again_ and gets poor Beast Boy instead! And here's where our story gets even more wierd, _I_ get pregnant! And then I lose it, and _then_ I start making out with you after all this?!"

Robin understood why Raven thought they were caught in an awkward situation, but he could also see the humour in it. "It's actually quite funny when you say it aloud.." Robin commented with a smirk on his face.

"It's not funny, Robin!" Raven hissed. "We didn't get together of our own free will! This.." She said, pointing to herself, then Robin, then herself again, "Isn't real!"

Robin understood now. Raven thought their feelings weren't real because they began in a messed up situation. "Raven, please," Robin said. "If that stupid pheromone thing didn't happen-"

"Then we would still be just friends," Raven said, cutting him off. "And you would be dating Starfire right now."

Robin was left dumbfounded by what Raven had said. "What?!" He said the first thing that came to mind. "What is it going to take to show you that what I'm feeling is real?!"

Raven flung her arms up into the air in frustration, but brought them back down to her stomach quickly. She'd forgotten that she had only recently had surgery and was bruised. "Ow," Raven groaned, hunching over. She stopped for a moment and then stood up straight again. "There's nothing you can do, Dick," Raven said, using his real name for the first time in a long time. "It's all me. I need time away to think about it all."

"Alright," Robin stated. "How long do you need? I'll give it to you!"

Raven walked over to the bed again and sat on the edge next to Robin. Robin couldn't help but lean forward to kiss Raven again. This time he kissed Raven's lips as tenderly as he could. Raven kissed him back, even though Robin thought she wouldn't.

Raven pulled back and looked at Robin with sad eyes. "I've been thinking of going back to Gotham City again."

Robin felt his heart stop. Raven wanted to leave. He felt like he just got her back, but he knew that Raven was one who would back away if pressured, so he wasn't going to beg her to stay. "Okay." It was all Robin could allow himself to say. If he said any more, he may drive her away forever.

--------------------------------------------

Robin sat on the floor of the garage at Titan tower. Cy was tuning his car, yet again. Sitting and talking to Cyborg had almost become a daily past time for Robin. He found that it had actually brought them closer together as friends.

"You've been awfully quiet the last few days, man," Cy said from underneath the car. "Don't worry, she'll be back".

Robin snorted at Cyborg's comment.

Cyborg rolled out on his little board from under the car. He looked at Robin. "You think we've all haven't noticed you and Raven?" Cyborg teased. "It's pretty obvious Robin. You like her and she likes you.. She'll be back."

Robin wasn't sure what to say to that. "Cat's out of the bag, huh?"

"Uh-huh" Cy replied and rolled back under the car. "Pass me that wrench?"

Robin picked up the wrench and placed it in Cy's open hand.

"Did ya hear what happened to BB and Star yesterday?" Cy began.

"No.."

"Don't take my word for it, but remember how he and Star wanna go away on a holiday?"

"Yeah.."

"Well, get this. He's been calling the Titans East to see if any of them can come over to cover for them while they're on their holiday. Yesterday Bumblebee and Speedy called back to say they can do it. Now here's where it gets interesting.." Cy said suggestively as he wheeled himself back out from under his car and sat up.

"They called BB to give him and Star the good news. So, BB answered his communicator, with Starfire behind him listening. After they got the news, BB threw the communicator across his bedroom, forgetting to hang up."

Robin couldn't help but giggle, picturing what could possibly have come next. "Oh no.."

"Oh yes.." Cy replied. "Now, so after throwing said communicator, my poor Bumblebee and Speedy had full view of BB's bedroom from the angle the communicator landed on in that messy-ass bedroom."

Robin smacked his hand to his forehead. "Do I even want to know what came next?"

"BB and Star did a little pre-holiday celebrating and my baby Bumblebee had to witness the whole thing! The girl won't stop talking about how flexible Starfire is!"

Robin burst into laughter. Cyborg had worked himself up over Bumblebee being forced to endure seeing BB and Star bumping uglies, instead of the fact that BB didn't realise people were watching!

"It ain't funny!" Cy yelled.

"Yes it is!" Robin laughed.

Cy grumbled and lay back down on the board. He pushed himself back under the T-car. "Yeah well, just think about what you missed out on with Star being so flexible."

Robin laughed at Cy's attempt to make him jealous of BB. It was the first time he'd laughed in days, since Raven left for Gotham City.

"Hey, don't you get your cast off next week?" Cy asked from under the car.

"Yeah," Robin replied. "I almost forgot!"

"Well," Cy stated, "How's about we go visit Raven at Gotham City when you have it taken off.

Robin thought about it. It was a great idea. He could finally go see Raven, as well as tie it in with a visit to see Bruce and Alfred again. "Sounds good," Robin replied. "You want to come with me this time?"

Robin could hear Cy stop working. He then suddenly pulled himself out from under the car. "Hell Yeah, I wanna come to Gotham City!"


	15. ch15: Haven't we done this before?

***author's note: **Sorry for the uber delay all! Had a case of writer's block.. and something clicked the other day and I felt like writing.. so much in fact, I forgot to keep track of how LONG this chapter has gotten!**  
**Now, I know this chapter may seem like its repeating earlier events in the story- it's Because I've been reading my own story to refresh myself, and some of these events need to be revisited (lets just say Robin deserves a 2nd chance at woo-nig Raven). Also, I'm jumping a week ..because I can.. no excuse from me on that one.

**Ch15: Haven't we done this before?**

It had been a busy week for Robin. Robin had negotiated his and Cyborg's getaway around BB and Star's. Given that Bumblebee and Speedy said they could come mind the tower, Robin organised for them to stay an extra week to cover Robin and Cyborg's trip to Gotham City. And because Robin would not be able to travel to Gotham for another week, Robin let Starfire and her new green boyfriend go away on their holiday first. Robin had no idea where they planned on going. He honestly didn't care. All he could think about was counting down the days until he could surprise Raven with his new (un-casted) self.

The week flew by, considering Raven was in Gotham City and hadn't spoken to Robin since she left.

Robin hobbled into the kitchen to grab some lunch. Bumblebee and Cyborg were on the couch, arguing over what to watch. Robin looked over and smiled, watching the two love birds argue like a married couple.

"..But you know I love to watch the game!"

"Why can't you just tape the game and watch it later? I wanna watch the new Iron Man movie! That Robert Downey Jr is just so fine!"

Cyborg then stole the remote from Bumblebee and held it above his head. "That's it! No TV for you!"

Robin shook his head and continued on his way to the fridge. He opened the door, but then something caught his eye at the door and closed the fridge door to do a double take. Speedy was walking into the room. The only thing was, his usually flattened out hairstyle was tall and spikey.

"Dude!" Robin exclaimed. "What happened to your hair!"

Speedy did not look impressed. "Your hair gel happened!"

Robin glared at him. "You've been using _my_ hair gel?!"

Speedy pointed to his hair, which looked like he'd been trying to copy Robin. "_This_ is the first time I've used your gel! I didn't look at the bottle and so I didn't know that it was one of those super strong, fast setting ones! Look what you did to my hair!" Speedy's voice got louder as he ended the sentence.

"What _I_ did?!" Robin yelled back. "Who told you to steal my gel?!" Robin knew how an argument with Speedy would turn out. Speedy was just like Robin. Both were as stubborn as each other and each would never back down.

"Well now I can see why you need the gel to set fast," Speedy said, looking up at Robin's hair. "You're hair is getting so long, it'd flop if the gel didn't set fast." And with that, Speedy turned towards the door. "I'm gonna go wash this out, cya".

Robin hadn't even noticed that his spiky hair had gotten so long. If he pulled his fringe down it'd go down to his nose. Being Tower-bound and immobile had taken his attention on the one thing that used to matter to Robin- his hair style. He couldn't remember the last time he got a haircut. It was a totally random thought, but Speedy did bring up a good point. And yet, Robin had no inclination to cut his hair..

-----------------------------

Robin looked eagerly at his watch. He was seated on the gurney in the infirmary, eagerly awaiting Nurse Richards' arrival. BB accidentally broke the TV in the room the week before when he tried to hook up his game station to it. So, Robin was left to sit in silence as he waited. He began picking at the plaster cast, figuring it had to come off anyway.

"Mr Robin!" Robin looked towards the doorway, and in walked Nurse Richards, with Cyborg in tow. "Let's get this cast off you for good this time." The large nurse had a smile on her face as she headed towards Robin.

Robin smiled and watched Nurse Richards do her work. Cyborg stood on the opposite side of the gurney and watched. "So I've read that Raven has been over in Gotham City.." Nurse Richards said as she put on her gloves.

"Yeah," Robin replied. "She's really taken to the city, so I guess it is kind of a holiday for her."

Nurse Richards smiled and nodded, but didn't say anymore.

------------------------------

Robin stood in front of his full-length mirror wearing nothing but his boxer-briefs. He looked at himself standing on his own two feet, without the use of crutches, for the first time in 6 weeks.

"Six weeks". The time flew by for Robin. He knew he shouldn't get ahead of himself, as Nurse Richards told him it'd take a week until he can feel like his normal self, and a few more weeks before he can reach the fighting capabilities he had been at before injuring himself.

Robin was just glad to be rid of his crutches! He and Cy were going to Gotham City tomorrow. Robin had his suitcase almost completely packed and ready to go. All Cy and he were waiting for were for BB and Star to return from their holiday together. Robin felt sorry for Bumblebee and Speedy for being left behind with the gushy lovebirds while he and CY went to Gotham City. All Robin really cared about was the fact that he was going to see Raven again.

----------------------------------

Robin felt his heart beat wildly in anticipation. They were nearing the back driveway to the Bat Cave. Cyborg wanted to take the T-car so that he could show off his mechanic skills to Batman. It had taken them over 24 hours of non-stop driving to get there. And right now, it was Robin's turn to drive. Cyborg was asleep in the passenger seat. Robin was actually glad that Cy was asleep, as he wouldn't have to worry about hiding the secret entry to the Bat cave. Robin would have to show Cy eventually, but it was a force of habit from all his years with Batman to make the passenger close their eyes or drug them so they'll sleep through the drive into the cave.

Robin and Cy didn't talk about who Batman's secret identity was, or the fact that Cy would know Robin's real identity. Cyborg had already seen Robin without his mask, and had respected Robin's decision to hide his identity. Robin admired Cyborg for that. The man never pressured anyone. He let his friends open up in their own time.

Robin remembered when he brought Raven to the Batcave at first. She was shocked at who Batman really was, and Robin had no doubt that Cy would be shocked also. This trip almost felt like déjà vu for Robin.

Robin drove the T-car into the Batcave and parked. He then looked over at Cy who was still snoring away. "Cy! Cy! We're here!" Robin called out, pushing his friend in the shoulder.

Cy woke up and realised almost immediately where they were. "Holy crap! We're here!" Cyborg practically flew out of the car. Robin, with his left leg still not working at full capacity yet, got out of the car more slowly.

"Robin?"

Robin looked up and across the cave. There was Raven in her Titans uniform, in her meditation pose and levitating in the air. "Um, hi Raven," Robin said nervously. "Sorry if we disrupted your meditation.." Robin didn't want to piss her off from the beginning of their meeting.

Raven surprised Robin as she flew over to him and stood on the platform in front of him "It's alright. I've.. We've been expecting you.."

Robin smiled at Raven. She was waiting for him. Robin stretched out his hand and held Raven's. He didn't want to scare her off too quickly, so he opted for nothing more than just hand holding. Robin didn't even noticed Cyborg running around in the background, looking at every computer panel in the cave, "Ooh-ing" and "Aah-ing" at the hi-tech gadgetry.

Suddenly, a distinguished cough came from the far side of the room. There stood Alfred and Bruce. Robin let go of Raven's hand and turned to his family.

"Glad to have you back," Bruce said to Robin, smiling coyly at his young apprentice. The hand-holding with Raven was not lost on Bruce and Alfred. Bruce then walked over to Cyborg to introduce himself. Robin turned back to Raven, vaguely hearing Cyborg's "BRUCE WAYNE!?" gasp in the background.

"How.. How have you been?" Robin asked Raven. Raven smiled and shrugged. "Good... _Better.._," She replied. I've had a lot of time to think and recuperate here."

"If you don't mind my interrupting this.. tender moment," Bruce said to Robin and Raven. "Why don't we get you boys settled and then we'll have dinner."

----------------------------

Robin looked up from his almost empty dinner plate. They'd just had a fantastic dinner, cooked by Alfred. Cyborg had pestered Bruce with endless questions throughout the dinner, more about the technology he uses and the manufacturing process behind the Bat-weaponry. Robin could tell that Cy was purposely not drawing attention to the fact that Robin was parading around mask-less and Batman was Bruce Wayne. He'd have to thank Cy for that later. If he brought Star or BB with him to Gotham City, they would have made too big a deal about it.

Robin took one last forkful of mashed potato and peas to finish his meal and then he leaned back in his chair. His stomach felt so full that he thought he'd have to roll to his room. Speaking of, Robin wanted nothing more than to settle in his room then go do a workout to strengthen his leg again. Robin felt like he needed to do a serious workout to see if he'd lost any of his ninja skills. He wasn't really listening to the conversations around him but he thought he heard Bruce mention a tour of the city to Cyborg.

Robin was deep in thought, making plans on what exercise regime he should begin with. He was taken out of his stupor when Cyborg poked him in the arm. "We're gonna go out patrolling now," Cyborg said excitedly. "Wanna come?"

Robin looked over at Cy. He really wanted to. He just didn't know if his skills were up to scratch. He hadn't even had a chance to see if he could run yet, let alone kick a bad-guy's ass. "Um.. Sure. Let's go," he said, trying to sound enthused. To be honest, he didn't know if he was setting himself up to fail or not.

Bruce had his back, having previously experienced a few broken bones in his time. "You can provide backup. I don't want you in the front line when you're not ready. Let's see how you go tonight, then we'll begin your training tomorrow, okay?"

Robin smiled and nodded. He knew Bruce was right. That, and Robin knew Bruce would be the best training partner and would provide the best challenge for Robin.

------------------------------

Robin stood atop of Wayne Tower. He was the lookout for the others tonight. The skyscraper stood in the centre of Gotham, and Robin remained in radio contact with the others.

"Man! This town reminds me of Raven's bedroom!" Cy commented over the radio.

"I can hear you.." Raven commented back.

"Stay sharp everyone," Batman replied. "Try not to use the radio unless you need to."

Robin sighed. He felt useless. He wasn't doing anything other than look over the sides of the building, waiting to back up the others if need be. Robin sat on the edge of the tower. He turned off his radio. There was no point to having it on anyway. What use was he to the others in his condition? "What the hell am I doing here?" He asked himself.

"Not stopping me, that's for sure!"

Robin turned around at the familiar voice. "Jason?"

Sure enough, there stood his old friend, and nemesis, Red X. "Miss me?"

Robin stood back up and stood in his defensive pose. "What are you doing here?!"

Jason, unexpectedly took off his mask and smiled at Robin. "Come on, Dick," Jason laughed. "I _live_ in Gotham City!" Jason saw that Robin was standing, ready for an attack. Jason brought his hands up, as if he were being held up in a bank robbery. "Don't worry, I haven't stolen anything. I'm just.. sight seeing.."

That comment caught Robin off guard. "Huh?"

Jason pointed to the air behind Robin. Robin turned and saw Raven in the distance, flying over the city. "You made a move on her yet, or what?" Jason asked. "Because like I told you, if _you_ don't, _I_ will."

Robin growled under his breath. "You can't be serious!"

Jason laughed as he placed his mask back on. "Come on, we're pals! But if you're too chicken to make a move on her, I'm not going to stand aside and wait for you to grow some nads.."

Robin rolled his eyes. "You haven't changed."

Jason, now fully dressed as Red X, nodded. "True that. But like I said before, I'm not your enemy. I never was." Red X looked down at Robin's legs. "Good to see you're leg's out of that ghastly cast! Now let me see what you got," he said, taking a defensive pose.

"What!?" Robin gasped. He just heard Jason say he was still Robin's friend.. now he wants to fight?

"You heard me. You've been out of commission for what, 6 weeks now? If I were you, I'd be busting for a fight to see what I can do after 2 months in a cast."

Robin thought about it. He _was_ busting for a sparring match. "No funny stuff," Robin said, pointing his index finger at Red X.

Red X nodded and gestured for Robin to come towards him. "I'll go easy on you half-pint."

Robin ran towards Red X, and even though his legs got him there, he still felt like he was only running at half his usual pace. He could feel his hamstring ache, as it hadn't been used in weeks. Robin swung with a right hook but Red X backed out of its way. Robin then tried to spin and kick, but again, Red X moved away in time. "You've really slowed down, Dick." Red X commented.

"Shuddup!" Robin didn't like feeling weak, and Red X's comments weren't helping. Robin was sure that Red X was saying it on purpose, having known Robin long enough to know what would piss Robin off most.

"LEAVE. HIM. ALONE!" Suddenly a black ball surrounded Robin. Raven had obviously seen them fighting, but hadn't heard what was going on, as Robin had turned off his radio. Robin watched through the black orb as Raven flew over Robin and landed in front of him, between Robin and Red X.

The black orb surrounding Robin disappeared. Raven obviously felt he didn't need it anymore because she was there to protect him. Robin got angry at the feeling that Raven felt he needed to be protected. Robin didn't like to feel weak. He despised weakness in himself.

"Raven!" Red X greeted. "How nice to see you again!" Red X motioned for her to walk towards him. "I got a surprise for you.." He said suggestively.

Raven remembered the last surprise he gave her got her pregnant. "You're too sleazy for me," Raven replied. "But I have a surprise for you!"

Raven then waved her hands around and a black orb now surrounded Red X. Using her powers, she lifted the ball up in the air, with Red X still inside it. The orb flew across the city until Robin couldn't see it in the darkness anymore. Raven then turned to Robin and walked over to him. "Are you alright?" She asked with concern in her voice. Robin had no idea where she threw his friend.

Robin could've thanked Raven for her 'help' but he was furious and felt he didn't want or need the help. Despite Red X being the enemy, Robin secretly enjoyed spending time with his old friend. "I'm fine." Robin replied angrily.

Raven was taken back, not expecting so forceful a reply. "I was only trying to help.. You had turned your radio off.."

Robin wanted to burst out and yell at Raven. He was furious at being seen as the weak one. But he knew that if he yelled at Raven now, he'd lose his chances with her. He'd need to take his anger out another way, and he was thinking of bashing things around in the Batcave. "See you at the mansion.." Robin growled before turning on his heel and walked over to the other side of the rooftop, in the direction of the mansion.

Robin was suddenly blocked by a black wall. Raven, having blocked Robin's way, flew over to face him. "What is up your ass? I was trying to help."

The girl didn't know when to quit! "Maybe I didn't _want_ your help!" Robin yelled back. He couldn't help it. Raven was better off letting him walk away when she had the chance.

A 'thud' was heard on the rooftop behind him. It was Batman. "Don't yell at her like that," Batman said sternly.

"Would everyone just get off my BACK!" Robin had had enough. He wanted to be alone to work off his anger before he said something he regretted.. again. Robin ran over to the edge of the tower and jumped off. He shot out a line to an adjoining building and swung himself away from the situation so he could get to his motorbike and go back to the mansion.

Raven was left standing on the tower rooftop, dumbfounded.

Batman walked over to Raven. Not a minute ago, when they realised that Robin wasn't answering on the radio, Raven and Batman went to investigate. Cyborg agreed to continue to patrol the city from the T-Car on the ground below. That's when they saw Robin and Red X fighting. Batman watched from a distant rooftop, as he was not as fast as Raven when it came to crossing rooftops.

"Leave him be," Batman told Raven, placing his hand on her shoulder to reassure the girl.

Raven looked up at Batman. "Did I miss something?"

"Let's just say that Robin's never liked being saved.. ever," Batman replied, remembering what Robin's behaviour was like when he first took Robin in after his parents died. Robin, even as a child wanted to be strong and couldn't handle asking for help. "He's the leader of the Titans.." Batman explained. "Leaders feel it's their job to do the saving."

-------------------------------------

Robin woke up in his room. After he stormed off last night, he went straight to his room and yelled in frustration as loud as he could. Luckily for him, Alfred was in the Batcave still and couldn't hear him.

Robin hopped off the bed, changed into his shorts and T-shirt before walking over to the large empty space in his room between his double bed and his bathroom. Robin sat of the floor and began his new morning workout. He counted aloud as he finished each sit-up.

After a one-hour workout, Robin dropped to the floor and listened to the sounds of his own panting. He was boiling hot, and sat up momentarily to take his T-shirt off before lying back down on the floor. His arms and legs outstretched, like he were about to make snow-angels.

There was a knock at the door. Robin was too tired to get up. "What!?" He called out.

He continued to look at the roof as he heard his bedroom door open. He didn't hear who it was, but heard someone run towards him. When they reached his side, he saw Raven had run to him and knelt at his side. "Are you alright?!" She said concerned, having seen him lying uncharacteristically on the floor. Raven placed her hand on Robin's chest as she looked down into his eyes, concerned for him. Robin couldn't help but wish he really was hurt, as he took in her concern for his safety. He now felt bad for yelling at her last night.

"I'm fine," Robin said. "Except.." He said, smirking at her.

"Except..?" Raven leaned in closer to Robin, staring into his deep blue eyes, wondering what he was talking about.

Robin gestured with his finger for Raven to lean in closer to him. Raven leaned in closer. "Closer," Robin whispered. Raven moved in closer. She turned her head so her ear was closer to his lips, assuming he was going to whisper something to him, her hand still placed on his chest.

Robin couldn't believe he was getting away with this! He slowly placed his hand under Raven's chin and turned her face so she was facing his. They were so close, and Robin prayed they were not interrupted right now. He didn't want to risk losing this moment. Robin lifted his head off the ground and pressed his lips to Raven's. Hoping she wouldn't run away from him again, Robin placed his hand behind her head and held her close to him.

Raven moaned momentarily in surprise at being kissed so unexpectedly. Admittedly, she had an idea that he wanted to kiss her, but didn't know if he would because she pissed him off royally last night. But Batman's explanation helped her understand why Robin was so angry.

Raven had been thinking of Robin constantly since she left Titan tower. She dreamt of kissing him again, and having a proper relationship with him. Meditating helped her to think and combat her inner turmoil around opening herself up to someone else. This was her chance to surprise even herself.

Raven moved herself so that she was sitting over Robin's hips, without taking her lips off his. Robin ran his hands up and down the back of her legs, praying she didn't stop him like she did last time they made out. He had to remember to behave himself. Robin took his hands off her legs and held her face with his hands. He dared to open one of his eyes, to take a look at Raven. She had her eyes closed. Both her hands placed on the floor on either side of Robins head, holding her up. Robin closed his eyes again.

Raven ended the kiss, by pulling away from Robin. "I'm sorry about last night," she said with a small smile on her face. Robin smiled back at her and rubbed her arm with his hand. She then crinkled her nose, having realised the sweaty smell emanating from Robin. "You stink," Raven joked before getting up off Robin and began walking to the door.

"Hey!" Robin called out. He flipped onto his side and looked at her. "Help me up?"

Raven rolled her eyes. Robin was doing it on purpose. She waved her hand and Robin levitated off the floor and onto his feet. Robin smirked back at her. "Help me get undressed?" He asked, boldly.

Raven smiled back. "Not yet.." She said optimistically before leaving him alone in his room.

"Tease.." Robin groaned to himself.

--------------------

Robin had just finished a training session with Bruce. He realised his skills were not as strong as he wanted, but Bruce helped him understand that it's a given, considering he hadn't moved his left leg in 6 weeks. Muscle mass was bound to deteriorate. Despite their personality differences, Bruce and Robin agreed to train daily. Robin was glad that Bruce agreed to retrain Robin. It felt like old times again being with his father-figure. And at this moment, said father figure was being driven to work by Alfred.

Robin wandered around the mansion aimlessly, as he had nothing planned to do for the day. Chase had taken Raven out dress shopping, much to Raven's dismay. Bruce had invited the Titans to join him and Chase Meridian to the Diabetes Fundraiser tonight in the heart of Gotham. Robin knew Bruce went for show only. Wayne Enterprises had to keep in the public eye if it was to keep bringing in profits. If it was an excuse to dance with Raven, the Robin was excited to be going. The only difference this time is Cyborg will be there too. Robin wandered where Cyborg was as he wondered the front hall of the mansion.

Cyborg was most likely in the batcave, tinkering with.. something.

Everyone was busy except for Robin. He wandered the front hallway of the mansion, wondering whether to sit and watch TV or to go out. As if answering his question, the doorbell rang.

Robin walked over to the door and opened it. He did not expect to see the person who stood before him.

"Jason?!" Robin exclaimed.

There stood Jason, in a black and dark blue motorcycle outfit. His navy helmet under his arm. Jason smiled at Robin. "Dick.." He greeted. "Who'd you expect? Father Christmas?"

"What.. What are you doing here?"

"Grab your bike. We're gonna catch up on old times!"

Robin thought about it for a moment. He knew he should probably arrest Jason for the crimes he's committed. But at the same time, Robin needed a friend to talk to- and he missed his childhood friend.

Robin smiled as he closed the door behind him and they headed to the garage.

------

"A girlfriend?" Robin asked at the comment his friend had made.

"Yeah. We just hooked up. I don't think we're near the girlfriend boyfriend status.. yet," Jason said with a smirk on his face. "We're just in it for kicks".

"What's her name?" Robin asked.

"Selena Kyle.." Jason said with a sigh of endearment in his voice.

Robin and Jason sat on the rooftop of the Gotham Entertainment Complex. The complex stood at the end of the city, along the beachfront. Robin and Jason parked their motorbikes and they each sat on the edge, feet dangling over the ledges as they ate hot dogs and chips. Robin had fun conversing and catching up on old times with his friend. Robin looked over at his friend and wondered what their friendship would have been like, had Robin's parents not died. It made him curious. Thief or not, was Red X really friend or foe?

"Jase?" Robin began.

"Hnn?" Jason mumbled as he chowed down on a handful of fries.

"I feel like we should make a pact, or something..?"

Jason looked over at Robin with a confused look on his face. "Like a pinky swear?"

Robin laughed and took a sip of his drink. "I mean, like a promise.."

"You're getting all girlie on me, Grayson," Jason laughed.

"I mean it. We're good friends. But let's promise to stay friends, but if I catch you stealing anything- friend or not, I'll take you down."

Robin expected Jason to react negatively to what Robin had said. However, Jason did the unexpected. Jason burst out into laughter! He was laughing so hard, he almost fell off the edge of the rooftop. Robin had to reach over and grab Jason's shoulder to make sure he sat steadily on the rooftop. "Oh! You're a classic!" Jason wiped a stray tear that had escaped in his laughter. "You really _have_ gone soft!"

Robin pouted. He was being serious, as he wanted to keep Jason as a friend now that he was back. "Do we have a deal?"

Jason looked over the edge and held out his drink. He appeared to be aiming for someone below as he dropped it over the edge. Robin rolled his eyes as he heard a yelp from the ground below. Someone had suffered the wrath of soda being dropped from 6 storeys up. "We have a deal," Jason replied, holding out his hand for Robin to shake. "As_ if_ you could catch me anyway.." Jason laughed.

Robin let go of Jason's hand and looked at his watch. "It's getting late. I gotta go," Robin said, also standing up.

Jason groaned. "Awww.. what's the deal? It's still early!"

Robin dusted off the back of his leather motorbike outfit. "We're going to that Diabetes Benefit tonight. I have to go get ready."

Jason looked at Robin with a smirk and a twinkle in his eye. "Yeah... You go get ready for your party," he said in a sly tone.

Robin knew that tone meant that Jason was planning something. "I don't suppose you and Selena will be there then?"

Jason walked over to his motorbike. "Remember, I_ do_ have a legitimate job dealing goods at auctions for rich folk." Jason picked up his bike helmet, ready to place it on his head. "How else do you think I meet these rich fogies to do business with!" And with that, Jason placed the helmet over his head.

Robin remembered what happened the last time Robin visited Gotham. "Alright, see you tonight then." Robin then pointed his finger at his friend, half jokingly, and finished with, "No funny business."

----------------------

"Dude!" Cyborg complained. "I look like a penguin!"

Robin and Cyborg both stood in front of the roof-to-floor tall mirror that stood near the front door. Each were wearing black tuxedos and each adjusting their bow ties. Robin had been maskless since the night he and the others patrolled around Gotham city all together. Since then the others had been crime fighting around Gotham without him, and having a mask on for the last 5 years, Robin felt naked without it.

"Hey, you _could_ go in your usual gear but I think you'll be stared at more that way," Robin stated, looking over at his friend. Cyborg was clearly struggling with his black tie. Robin had done his up, but undid it to help his friend. "Here. Watch me," Robin instructed as he faced the mirror, looking at Cyborg's reflection. As he did up his own tie, he saw Cyborg copying and eventually they both had ties worthy of a ball.

Alfred walked into the room as the two men had inspected their finished ties in the mirror. "Do you need any assistance?" Alfred asked.

Robin turned to the elderly gentleman and replied, "No thanks, Alfred. We're both done here. We're just waiting for Raven, Chase and Bruce now I guess."

Alfred was about to speak, when Bruce interrupted. "Are you ready to go, Dick?" Bruce asked as he walked down the large marble staircase, Chase Meridian on his arm. Chase was dressed exquisitely of course, in a long black dress. Robin assumed it was her signature look, as 'simple and classy' was pulled off with her platinum blonde hair and bright red lipstick.

"We're ready," Robin replied, looking around for the person he'd wanted to see all afternoon, "Where's Raven?"

By now, Bruce and Chase had reached the bottom of the stairs and were walking over to them. Chase replied with, "Raven's almost ready."

Bruce smiled coyly at Robin. "We're heading to the benefit now, without Cyborg and Raven."

"Say what!?" Cyborg interrupted. "We're gonna miss the party!?" He exclaimed, obvious that Bruce has held his cards close to his chest, as usual.

Bruce smiled at Cyborg and replied, "Let's just say, I can _now_ understand why Dick never came out of his 'Robin' persona." Cyborg looked at him confused. So, Bruce felt he needed to better explain the situation that Robin had managed to avoid since joining the Titans because he never took off his mask to become Dick Grayson. "If we all arrived at the party together, it would make it obvious that Dick and myself have secret identities. And so, to prevent people from putting two and two together, Chase, Dick and I are getting to the benefit first. There will already be enough talk with some of my friends seeing Dick has come back into town. You and Raven will arrive later. And we will need to pretend that we had all just met."

"OOOOOOOoooohhhhh," Cyborg replied. He then tapped the side of his nose. "I getcha. See ya's at the party!"

Robin walked out the door and into Bruce's limousine, disappointed that he didn't yet see what Raven looked like dolled up.

--------------------------

Robin sighed as he sat at the table, rapping his fingers along the table top. He'd been introduced into all Bruce's colleagues and friends. Many of them he knew from when he was living at Wayne manor in his youth. "Pompous rich bastards.." Robin mumbled to himself. He did not miss the benefits, but knew Bruce had to keep it up for his business.

"You couldn't possibly be at this benefit without a date..?" An unfamiliar voice said to Robin. In the corner of his eye, he saw a woman in a black dress and wild, curly blonde hair sit next to him. Robin looked over at the unfamiliar woman. She was pushing 40, with a black halter neck dress that would make all the men at the party drool. Robin admitted she had a banging body, especially for her age.

"Yeah. Believe it or not, I'm dateless," Robin stated, remembering to keep up the facade that he was alone and not with Raven. Technically he _was_ dateless. Raven had still not arrived, and Robin technically never asked her to come as his date.

"So.." The mystery woman said, looking at the people dancing in the centre of the room. "Are you going to ask a girl to dance?" She said, looking over at Robin and leaning casually against the table top.

Robin smirked. Hot or not, he shouldn't make a girl beg. "Would you like to dance?" Robin asked in as gentlemanly way as possible. He stood up and held his hand out for the woman to take. And that she did.

Robin led her to the dance floor and they began to waltz. Robin secretly hoped Raven didn't show up at this moment.

"You're Bruce's ward, right?" The woman asked.

"Richard Grayson at your service," Robin replied with a smile on his face. He was used to being known as 'that kid who Bruce took in out of sympathy'. It was a complex that Robin finally got rid of when he moved out and became his own person with the Titans.

"I've heard a lot about you, Dick," she smiled back.

"Like?"

The woman giggled as she looked over Robin's shoulder at someone. She then leaned in closer, whispering in Robin's ear. "Let's just say Bruce and I go waaaaaaaaaaay back."

Robin was going nuts, trying to figure out who this woman was. Bruce didn't tell Robin about every woman in his past, but with Bruce being a public figure, all he had to do was read a newspaper to see who his latest squeeze was. "Who _are_ you?"

"Selena Kyle.."

Robin's ears pricked up at that name, remembering the conversation he had with Jason only hours earlier. "Jason's new girlfriend?" Robin asked.

Selena laughed at Robin's comment. "More like he's Selena's toy boy.." she said suggestively. It was then that Selena spotted Bruce Wayne from across the floor as he danced with Chase Meridian. Robin followed her line of sight and saw Bruce do a double take as he saw Selena and Robin dancing together.

"He always was sexier in black rubber," Selena sighed. Robin looked at her confused, and she smiled coyly back at him. "I _told_ you we go way back.." She whispered.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Robin stated, having practiced the art of denial after years of living with Bruce and their secret identities.

"Sure you do. And let me offer a word of advice," She said softly. "Ditch the green and red." This had Robin's ears pricked up and burning like crazy. They then spotted Jason across the room, and he was now walking over towards them. "Chicks dig the dark colours.." Selena finished off. Robin was left speechless. She knew he was Robin? Did she make up her mind on her own or did Jason tell her? Robin didn't remember a Selena Kyle dating Bruce while he was living at the mansion. She _did_ say they go waaaaaay back.

Jason was about to approach them. Robin was going to have a word with him about telling people about his secret identity. But then just before Jason reached them, Selena whispered in his ear, "Don't worry, I won't tell Jason. Batman and I have a.. history.. and we both understand the need for secrecy.."

Jason finally reached them. "Looks like you found my girlfriend!" Jason greeted, holding his hand out for Robin to shake it.

Selena didn't know Jason was Red X. So it was a total fluke that these two had hooked up?

"Jason.." Robin said, greeting his friend. "You been mingling with the rich folk?"

Jason didn't look at Robin. He held his hand out for Selena to take it. "Man's gotta make a living somehow!" Selena took Jason's hand and he pulled her into his embrace, ready to dance with her. "If you feel like selling anything, call me," Jason smirked at Robin as he handed him a business card.

Robin laughed to himself. He pictured all the Bat/Robin-gadgets Jason probably wanted to get his hands on. He placed the card in his pocket and watched the couple move into the dance floor amongst the rest of the waltzing crowd.

Robin felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned and saw Bruce and Chase had made their way over to him. "Hi," Robin said.

"I see you met Selena Kyle," Bruce said softly. There was a distinctive gruff to his voice. It was his 'I'm suspicious of their motives' voice.

"Yeah, the name sounds familiar.. She said she knew you."

Just then Chase spotted something over Robin's shoulder and left Bruce's side. Bruce leaned in closer to Robin, looking around the room. Robin figured he was looking for Selena, or to see if anyone was within earshot. "Let's just say she is a _woman_ who loves _cats_ a bit too much.."

Then it hit. Robin remembered years ago when he first became 'Robin'. He was sitting at the batcave computer, reading about all the villains that Batman had come across. "Catwoman!" Robin hissed. "That was Catwoman?!"

Bruce nodded. "And she's dating Red X."

Robin laughed. "Funnily enough, neither of them know about their alter ego's."

Bruce glared. "And they never will. I'm planning on having a _word_ with Red X tonight."

Robin patted Bruce on the shoulder. "Let me handle him. We've agreed to a _truce_, so to say.."

Bruce's face showed he was about to growl or yell at Robin. But then their conversation was cut off by an announcement over the speakers.

"Introducing to tonight's exquisite diabetes ball.. direct from Jump City.. Please give a warm welcome to Raven and Cyborg!"

The crowd applauded and standing at the door were Cyborg and Raven. Raven had her arm wrapped around Cyborg's. Robin couldn't take his eyes off her. Chase was a fashion genius. Raven wore a deep navy, one-shouldered dress which reached the floor. As the dress reached the floor, the deep navy material faded to black. Raven's hair had been curled. Raven's hair was considerably shorter due to the wide curls that framed her face.

Robin was awestruck. He wanted to walk over to her and take her from this ball. Robin stood and watched as Chase Meridian had walked over to Raven's side and pretended to introduce herself to her. She then led Raven over to them, leaving Cyborg at the door.

Robin then head over the speakers, the MC for the night had announced, "And ladies, to help raise money for diabetes research, we're taking bids for this fine crime-fighter! The lady with the highest bid will win a date with Cyborg for tonight!"

Robin rolled his eyes. "Oh man.."

Cyborg took the microphone and stood on stage. "Alright, ladies! My momma has diabetes, so this research means a lot to me! I hope all you ladies get out your credit cards, because I'll make the highest bidder feel like a queen for a night!"

Robin laughed at how bad Cyborg's request for bids sounded. But it had the women of all ages bidding on him. Robin's attentions turned to seeing Chase and Raven walking around the crowd towards them. He saw Raven's face. She felt uncomfortable dressed as she was. He knew her long enough to know, even through the slight changes on her stoic face.

"Raven, this is Dick Grayson.." Chase pretended to introduce them, to prevent other's seeing they already knew each other. Robin smiled widely. He didn't care right now if anyone realised it was all a joke. He just wanted to hold Raven in his arms. It had been too long.

"Your name is _Dick_?" Raven asked, with a twinkle in his eye. She was playing dumb, and so would he.

"My real name's Richard," He replied, with a smirk on his lips. "It's very nice to meet you, Raven."

Raven bowed her head and then looked back at him. "Likewise."

"Care to Dance?" Robin asked, holding out his hand, and bowing slightly.

Raven's face shone as she smiled back at him. "Yes," she replied, taking his hand. And so Robin led her to the dance floor.

Robin had been waiting for this moment all night. He was desperate to hold Raven close to him. Robin smiled at Raven and he saw that she was smiling back at him. Despite the bidding of a night with Cyborg in the background, Robin could only hear the music being streamed through the speakers closest to the dance floor. He spun Raven in a circle and then brought her body close to his. Raven let out a giggle as her body thumped against his awkwardly.

"Sorry," Robin said awkwardly, even though he was smiling back at her. He really _wasn't_ sorry he caused Raven to bump into him.

Raven looked up at him and he could see she was blushing. Seeing that Raven was probably too embarrassed to talk, he decided to talk instead. And Robin chose his words carefully. "You seem.. different, since you left me for Gotham City."

He wanted Raven to notice that he'd mentioned she left _him_. And it seemed like she did. "I'm sorry for leaving like I did," She explained, looking away from Robin and towards the direction of where Cyborg stood on stage. She then looked back at Robin. "It's given me time to.. think about things."

Robin was desperate to lean forward and kiss her. But he was very well aware of the need to pretend they'd never met before, whilst in the presence of Gotham City's finest. "Can I ask what sort of things you needed to think about?" He asked. He made it well known to Raven that he fancied her, despite the reasons of how they initially got together.

Raven looked away again. Robin knew that talking about her feelings was hard for Raven. "I guess.. I tried to figure out.. um.. I realised I need to change some things.. in my life.."

Robin kinda did but kinda didn't have a clue what she was talking about. "You can't leave me with an answer like that." Something about Robin being so suave and confident that made Raven feel like opening up to him. She was used to seeing Robin so awkward around girls in the past. "I keep my emotions bottled up. I always have, you know that," she stated. Robin nodded in response. He had Raven on a roll and he wasn't going to disrupt that by talking. "I realised that, especially over the last couple of months, I need to.. let people in.. or I'll drive everyone- and you- away."

Robin heard the music stop. He stopped dancing with Raven and loosened his hold around her waist. He knew he had to keep up appearances for everyone else in the room. He pulled back from Raven and lifted her hand to his lips. He locked eyes with Raven as he kissed her hand in the most gentlemanly way possible.

"I know we have to keep up appearances tonight, but the moment we get back to the mansion, I really want to kiss you goodnight."

Raven really blushed this time. She had no verbal answer for him. The flush in her cheeks was answer enough for Robin.

**Author's notes:** how bout that? 16 pages (on my word document) worth of reading to keep you occupied until the next chapter! I know this last chapter was a bit slower, but im setting up for the big finale`! I'm still brainstorming the final chapters but don't worry, the story isn't coming to a close just yet! Don't forget to review!


	16. Ch16: take my hand & let’s make it bettr

**Author's notes: **wow! Finally got some motivation to write! I wanna finish this baby before I lose interest altogether! I'm going to Europe in 1.5 months so here's hoping I finish it before I go! Lemme know whatcha's think!

**Ch 16: take my hand and let's make it all better.**

Robin couldn't wait for the night to end. He knew that he couldn't leave at the same time as Raven. He had to keep up the appearance that they'd never met.

Raven left the gala first, without Cyborg. The bidding to raise money for diabetes research had ended with an elderly woman winning the highest bid. Luckily for Cy, the woman gave the night with Cyborg to her granddaughter as a sweet 16th present. Cy was more than happy to treat the teenager like a queen for a night.

After Raven left for the night, Robin did what he could to avoid Bruce. Bruce was mad at Robin's comment about creating a truce with his friend, Jason, who knew their secret identities, and could potentially ruin the Wayne empire. Robin called Alfred's mobile right after he picked up Raven. He asked that Alfred come get him next so he could leave the gala also. Robin felt sorry for Alfred, as the poor guy would be driving back and forth between the gala and the mansion all night to pick everyone up.

"So," Robin heard a voice behind behind him. It was Jason. "Have you asked her out yet or what?"

Robin snorted at that comment. He knew Jason was talking about Raven. That part was obvious. Though, he didn't know if he'd even answer truthfully if he _had_ asked her out. "Nah." But when Robin really thought about it, he had told her many times over the last 6 weeks that he wanted to be with her.

Robin saw across the crowd that Bruce had spotted the two of them talking together. Robin looked over at Jason as if he hadn't seen Bruce. "I'd suggest you avoid Bruce at all costs," Robin said, changing the subject.

Jason looked over across the room at Bruce. Just as he had, Selena Kyle had initiated a conversation with Bruce. "I get that he's going to want to beat me to a pulp for knowing his secret. But don't worry. I'm faster than he is."

"Don't be so sure," Robin grumbled.

Jason wasn't listening anymore, seeing Selena and Bruce talking happily together made him curious. "Why does it seem like they know each other?" Jason asked Robin, not taking his eyes off the chatting pair.

Robin suppressed his smile as best he could. 'If you only knew about the infamous sexual-tension-filled relationship Batman had with Catwoman that Batman still pines over', Robin thought to himself. "I think they go way back. I remember Bruce mentioned once she worked with him". Robin tried to picture the night when Red X and Catwoman would one day run into each other in Gotham, not realising who each other are in their costumes. Robin thought it fitting to let Jason figure it out for himself who his girlfriend was.

Jason nodded but didn't respond. He was in his own world. Robin knew he'd have to face Bruce's wrath over his friendship with Jason eventually. Maybe he could leave for Jump City before that happened.

Robin's mobile phone began to buzz in his pocket. He pulled it out of his pocket and read the message sent by Alfred, stating he was outside and waiting for when Robin was ready to leave the gala. "Looks like my ride's here," Robin stated, placing his phone back in his pocket.

Jason smirked at Robin and held out his hand. "You have a _good_ night.." Jason said.

Robin shook his old friend's hand and shook it. He snorted at Jason's insinuation that Robin was going to get lucky tonight. Robin looked over at Bruce to see he and Selena were still talking to each other. Their body language showed they clearly knew each other and had some history. "Good luck to you too..." Robin said, tilting his head towards Bruce and Selena.

Jason let out a nervous laugh. "Yeah, how do I go get her without Bruce biting my head off?"

Robin laughed. "Not my problem. I'm more worried at Bruce biting _my_ head off for talking to you."

Jason smiled at his friend. "Catcha soon!"

Robin nodded and left the gala, looking at his feet to avoid making eye contact with Bruce.

---------------------------------------

The ride back to the mansion was nowhere near fast enough. Robin promised to kiss Raven goodnight and he wanted to keep his promise. He started his search for Raven in the batcave.

Robin found that Raven wasn't in the batcave. He didn't know why he half expected her to be there, meditating- as it was now after midnight. He left the batcave through the silverware closet and entered the front hallway of the mansion.

Robin, eager to see Raven, bolted up the stairs two at a time. He was thankful he wasn't using crutches anymore, as it would've taken him minutes to hobble up. Robin turned right when he reached the top, headed for Raven's room.

Robin politely knocked at the door and waited for Raven to call for him to come in. After a few seconds Robin didn't hear anything. He reached for the handle and turned it slowly.

Again, he expected to see her in her room. But the bed was made and there was no one in her room. Robin noticed her dress now hung from a hanger on the far side of the room. She'd come in, gotten changed and left again.

Robin sighed and figured he too might as well get changed before finding Raven. And so Robin made his way to his own bedroom a few doors down from Raven's.

Robin was surprised to see the light on in his room when he opened the door. He didn't remember leaving it on. He looked around and realised he could hear music coming from the far side of the room. He followed the sounds to the bathroom door, left ajar. The light from the bathroom streamed into the room. Robin walked over to the bathroom door and opened it, prepared for anything..

Anything, except for what he saw.

Raven, wearing nothing but her black underwear and a navy blue singlet top. She had her back to Robin, leaning over the tub, her hand in the water as the tub filled up. Definitely a side of Raven Robin had not seen before.

"Raven?"

Raven clearly didn't realise he was behind her because she jumped when he said her name. She turned to him with her hand to her chest. Being caught off guard, her powers got the better of her as the glass holding Robin's toothbrush to her right suddenly turned black and the glass cracked down one side.

"Robin!" Raven exclaimed, her face going red at being sprung.

Robin smiled at her. He saw the humour in catching Raven off-guard. "What are you doing here?"

Raven opened her mouth to say something, then Robin saw something in her face that showed she realised the water was still running in the bath. She turned to the bath and turned off the water. It was then that Robin noticed the bath filled with bubbles. "Bubble bath?"

Raven sat on the tub side and looked up at Robin. "Um.. yeah.." She said, sounding a tad unsure. "Robin.." She said, patting the tub-side next to her, ushering for Robin to sit next to her. Robin complied. "I've had a lot of time to think while I've been here. I realised that originally I was embarrassed.. and angry.. that we, um.. slept together and almost had a baby because of a drug. And then I didn't really know what to think when I realised I actually liked you.. like that. Then when you kept trying to kiss me.. I..I just got so confused if it was real or because of that stupid pheromone.. And I've never let anyone get so close.. you know.. Because I grew up wanting people to stay away from me, being the portal and all.. "

Robin had never heard Raven open up to anyone in the way she did right now. Famously known for being reserved and never expressed any emotions, he felt that he had something special with Raven if she was showing this side of her to him only. Robin reached down and took Raven's hand. "Thank you for telling me this. I gotta admit, I went through a bit of that too. But then I realised..."

"Realised what?"

Robin brought Raven's hand to his lips and kissed the back of her hand. "It doesn't matter _how_ it happened. I just know that I love you and it's taken me 5 years to realise it."

Raven blushed. "I guess you're right.. and, Um... Ditto".

Robin was glad they'd sorted things out, and the 'ditto' was as close to an 'I love you' as Raven was going to be able to give him until she could find the courage to open up to him. He was finally going to be able to spend time with Raven the way he'd been day dreaming about for the last month. "So.. bubbles, huh?" Robin asked suggestively, raising one cheeky eyebrow at her.

Raven smiled and leaned closer to Robin. "I've always liked bubbles," She said as she planted a kiss on Robin's lips. Her kiss was so sweet and quick that they both paused, their faces still close together. That tiny kiss wasn't enough. It wasn't enough to fuel their sexual tension at all. But it_ was_ enough to ignite it. Robin grabbed Raven by the shoulders and pulled her towards him. They kissed with such ferocity that with Raven leaning forward onto Robin, they both lost their balance on the tub-side! Raven squealed and Robin yelped as they flew backwards into the abyss of white bath bubbles.

Raven and Robin laughed as they resurfaced. Raven wiped the suds form her eyes and laughed even harder when she looked at Robin. "You look like you have a bubble-afro!" She scootched over to Robin and wiped the suds from his hair. Robin sat quietly, examining Raven's face as she concentrated on his wet hair. She ran her hands over his head to wipe the last of the bubbles away. She slowed, and began to run her fingers through his hair. "Your hair's growing.." She commented. He'd gelled back his hair for the gala, and now that it had touched water, his fringe was now down to his nose.

"Should I cut it?" Robin asked, realising it's the second time someone's commented on his hair.

Raven smiled sweetly at him. "No. I like it".

Robin nodded. No hair cut.

They took their time undressing one another from their wet clothes. There was no need to rush anything. They had all the time in the world.

Well.. until their hands began to prune. Then they moved to the bedroom.

--------------------------------

Raven woke the next morning to the feel of Robin running his fingers up and down her bare back.

"That feels good," She whispered.

"You don't know how long I've wanted to do this," Robin said back, Raven could hear the smile in his voice. She rolled over to look up at him. Robin lay on one side. His elbow in his pillow, his hand holding up his head. "I've been thinking it's probably time we head back to Jump City."

Raven seemed to think about what he said, staring off to space momentarily. She then nodded. "We've left the city defenceless for too long."

"You mean we've left the _tower_ defenceless for too long! Star and BB have probably burnt it down by now.." Robin said sarcastically.

"Very likely," She replied. Raven then asked randomly, "So what's the deal with Star and BB hooking up? Didn't Starfire try and kiss you on Valentine's Day?"

The question about Valentine's Day caught Robin off-guard. "How did you-?"

"Cyborg told me," She replied quickly. "I think he was trying to make me jealous".

"Funny," Robin said sarcastically. "Because you were making _me_ insanely jealous with Aqualad taking you out on that boat!"

Raven smiled at that, thinking of her time on the rowboat with Aqualad. "Is that why BB threw the basketball at us?"

Robin smiled sheepishly at her question. "So did you two kiss?" Robin asked, changing the topic.

Raven playfully punched Robin in the arm, pushing him onto his back. "Hey! Don't change the subject!" She then crawled on top of him and looked down into his eyes.

Robin held his hands up in surrender. "I already told you I was jealous!" He laughed. "Now don't avoid _my_ question! Did you and fish-boy kiss?"

Raven rolled her eyes at the 'fish-boy' comment. "He tried.. but I wouldn't let him".

Robin was surprised by this. "What do you mean?"

Raven blushed. "Well, it was actually right after he soaked you and BB on the rooftop. You both went inside and Aqualad was gloating with his victory."

"Not that puncturing our ball wasn't victory enough", Robin teased, remembering Raven taking her anger out on the basketball.

"True.. Sorry about that."

Robin leaned up and kissed her, then held himself up with his elbows in his pillow again. "So finish the story!"

Raven rolled her eyes again. "Well, so he tried to lean in and kiss me. I think I kinda panicked.. because I, well.. accidentally used my powers to throw him off the boat and into the water."

Robin imagined the incident in his head and instantly burst out into laughter. "I'm so glad you didn't panic around _me_!"

"Well.. the glass in your bathroom was the first casualty!"

--------------------------------------

Robin began his training in the Bat cave alone that morning. He was avoiding Bruce and he didn't want to wake the man and provoke another argument about Red X.

He punched at the air and kicked at an invisible adversary. He could feel his newly repaired leg was not yet at full capacity. He wanted to be back to full-strength again, even though it had been almost 2 weeks since the cast had come off. He was so hard on himself. He always was.

"I hope you're just warming up," Bruce called out from across the cave. Robin stopped what he was doing and looked over at Bruce, dressed in his own training gear. "Raven told me that you're all planning on going back to Jump City today. So let's get in one more training session before you go back."

"You're up early.." Robin stated, "I thought you'd be sleeping in all afternoon".

Bruce chuckled as he reached the platform Robin was standing on. "You're not getting out of training with me _that_ easily.." Bruce commented, holding up his open palms for Robin to begin punching at him. "_Or_ our conversation about Red X," Bruce added slyly.

Robin was taken back, but began taking swings at Bruce's hands anyway. Might as well kick into training while Bruce was ready and waiting to be clobbered. "Yeah.." Robin said between punches. Bruce took a swing at Robin, which the ex-sidekick dodged. "I thought I was getting out of that one.."

Bruce dropped to the ground and swung his leg out, attempting to take out Robin's feet, but Robin jumped out of the way. "I know you two were friends, but can he really be trusted now?"

Robin ran towards Bruce and leapt into the air, taking a kick at Bruce's head as was in mid air. Bruce blocked the blow with his forearm. "I'd trust Jason with my life!" Robin said, getting defensive.

"But do you trust Red X?" Bruce asked Robin. He had a point there. Up until recently, Red X has been the bad guy. But Jason and Richard have been friends since children.

"Robin didn't answer straight away. He remembered the conversation he had with Jason on the rooftop about being friends, but if he committed a crime he'd need to act on it. Robin back flipped to get out of the way of Bruce's powerful kick. "I do." Robin replied.

Bruce crossed his forearms and blocked Robin's returning kick. "Fine. Just let him know if he lets our little secret slip, he's going to have a nice heart to heart with Batman." Bruce's neutral tone caught Robin off guard. He expected raised voices and another 5 years without much contact, because of a disagreement that would be forgotten by the time they remembered to talk to each other again.

"Why aren't you fighting me on this?" Robin asked, standing up straight, as the conversation seemed more important than training.

Bruce mimicked Robin's stance. "Because it's not worth fighting over if it's going to stop you from visiting here regularly again. You don't know what these last 5 years have done to Alfred.." Bruce smirked. "..and me.. "

Robin looked at him suspiciously. "So.. then.."

Bruce smiled. "I trust your judgement. If you trust Jason, then so do I." Bruce said, ruffling Robin's long hair. "And besides.. I can't wait to see the look on his face when he realises who Selena Kyle really is!" Bruce then playfully slapped Robin's arm.

"I guess you're right." Robin laughed.

Bruce stood back in his defensive pose again. "Now come on. Let's finish your training." Bruce took another swing at Robin's head, which Robin dodged. "Let's have your departure on a good note this time, eh?"

Robin laughed in agreement. They were known for having arguments on a daily basis, but then they would getS along the next day, as if they were brothers. Robin continued his training with Bruce. He was just about to block Bruce's punch when Cyborg's voice distracted him.

"Robin!" Cyborg called out with urgency in his tone.

Robin stopped and turned to see Cyborg and Raven standing at the entrance to the Batcave. This distraction caused Robin to fail to block Bruce's punch. Robin felt his cheek and Bruce's fist connect, and he was thrown to the ground.

"Robin!" Raven called out, flying over to Robin's side.

"Ow..!" Robin exclaimed.. flexing his mouth open and closed, hoping it'd dull the pain.

"Sorry!" Cyborg called out.

Bruce held out a hand for Robin to take. Robin took his hand. "Sorry, Dick." He apologised as he aided Robin to his feet. "You alright?"

Robin nodded. He looked angrily at Cyborg. "Yeah.. I got _distracted," _He gave Cyborg the hairy eyeball. It won't happen again."

Cyborg felt like hiding behind Raven's cape like a toddler who knew he was in trouble. "Sorry, Man! But it was urgent!"

Raven nodded in response. "We got a call from Beast boy. Star fire, Bumblebee and Speedy are missing!"

Robin was shocked at the news. "What!? We've got to get back there!"

Robin looked over at Bruce. He was sorry he'd be leaving in such a hurry without proper goodbyes. Bruce smiled in approval of the sudden development. "Go. Just don't forget to visit more regularly from now on, okay?"

Robin smiled back. "Maybe next time you and Alfred can come check out and stay at the Tower."

Bruce nodded. Robin and the others took it as their cue to go get ready to leave. Each Titan ran to their respective rooms to pack.

Robin put on his super hero outfit and zipped up the remainder of his belongings into his duffle bag, which was sitting on his bed. He swung the bag over his shoulder and turned towards the door. He took one last look towards the bathroom on the far side of the room. He smiled to himself, remembering the bath he had with Raven last night. He'd never been so in tune with or had so much fun with anyone like that before. And by the smiles on Raven's face, it looked like she'd never had so much fun before either.

Robin sighed. He doubted he'd get that much privacy with Raven at the tower. He walked out the door and into the hallway. Then down the stairs, and into the secret silverware closet entrance to the batcave. Raven and Cyborg had said their goodbyes to Bruce and Alfred and were waiting in the car. Cyborg sat in the driver's seat, Raven shotgunned the passenger seat. Bruce and Alfred stood next to the car, speaking to Cyborg who had wound down the driver's side window.

They all turned to see Robin walking in. Bruce and Alfred smiled.

"You will visit more often from now on, wont you, Master Dick?" Alfred's asked. Robin smiled. Alfred always was sentimental.

"Of course," Robin replied. "I thought maybe next time you guys can come visit us at the tower?"

Alfred smiled and nodded. "I would very much like to see where you live." He then handed Robin a black cardboard box. "Until then, I've a going away present for you. Best of luck, Master Dick."

Robin took the box. Curiosity was always his weakness, so he lifted the lid to see inside. Robin smiled at what he saw.

Cyborg honked the horn impatiently. "Come on, Robin! We gotta go!"

**Author's notes:** I don't know if people will guess what's in the box, but I'm a fan of the 90's Batman movies.. so those who've seen it will know what presents Alfred tends to give.

I've been utterly stomped on how to write the ending, even tho I know how I want it to end.. so I'm sorry in advance for the wait for the next chapter. But let me know what you think of this chapter. I'm building up to an awesome ending- I promise!


	17. Ch17: What are friends for!

**Author's note:** sorry again for the delay! I don't know if it's coming out in my writing, but I'm starting to lose interest in my own story and I'm trying to hurry it along so I can have it finished. So I'm sorry if people aren't finding it as enjoyable to read. I'm trying, despite my lack of motivation. Don't forget to review!

**Ch17: What are friends for?!**

They drove nonstop, taking it in shifts to drive back to Titans tower as fast as possible.

Robin, Cy and Raven were greeted by Beast boy as the T car pulled into the tower's garage late at night.

"DUuuuuuuuuuuuuuudes!" BB called out. They got out of the car. "I've looked everywhere! I _still _can't find Star and the others!"

"Slow down, BB," Cy said, placing his hand on BB's shoulder. "Start from the beginning. What happened?"

Beast boy took deep breath. "Last night we were all staying up late, having a monster movie marathon. By the end of it, the sun was coming up and we all wanted pizza for breakfast before we went to bed."

Raven cringed. "Pizza.. for breakfast?"

Beast boy poked his tongue out at her. "Technically it was an end-of-marathon snack. Anyway, I went out to pick up the pizzas from that 24 hour place." BB then rubbed his hand on the back of his green spikey-haired head. "But when I go back, they were gone. It was as if they just disappeared into thin air!"

Robin rubbed the bottom of his chin. "Were there any signs of a struggle? Did the security system find any intruders?"

BB waved his hand, ushering the others to follow him out of the garage and into the tower. "No and No. I've searched everywhere in the tower _and_ around the city. There's no sign of them."

They walked down the halls, towards the living room. Raven closed her eyes momentarily then opened them again. "I don't sense them anywhere."

"Well that ain't a good sign," Cyborg commented. "What does that mean?"

Raven explained calmly, "It means that they're not here, not anywhere close.. or.." She was hesitant to say the last option.

"They're _not dead!"_ Beast boy yelled, uncharacteristically. The others all stopped in their tracks.

"Look man," Cy began reassuringly. "We're not saying they're dead. Now let's scope out the tower for clues."

They scoured the tower and came up with nothing. Beastboy was getting more and more anxious and aggravated as they took longer and longer. "I've been through all this already! There's nothing here!" Beast Boy yelled.

The Titans dropped what they were all inspecting and came together in the centre of the living room. "You're right," Robin replied. "Let's go out and search the city."

----------------------

They searched the city for hours. It was the middle of the night before they all got back to the tower to rest. Robin and Raven were walking down the hall behind BB and Cyborg. Robin was beat, and felt selfish that he was thinking about how he had no time with Raven today. They needed to get their friends back, and fast.

Cyborg yawned as they all walked down the hallway to the living room. "Man, I'm beat."

Beast boy was practically half-asleep; dragging his feet and eyes half-lidded as he walked. "We gotta keep looking.." He yawned.

"We need to get our strength back first," Robin replied. "We're no good to them if we're half asleep." Robin knew the night was about to end with each of them leaving to their respective rooms. He held Raven's hand and looked over at her. Raven realised what he'd done and she looked at him too. Each giving each other a tiny smile.

"But-" BB tried to complain.

"No buts" Raven cut him off. "Starfire would want you to rest and get your strength back."

BB nodded. They all bid each other a goodnight and went to bed.

-----------------------

It was mid morning before Robin awoke. He found it slightly disorienting to be back in his own room. He had a quick shower and shave before donning his hero costume. He wanted to search the city again after breakfast. He picked up his mask off his bedside table and walked out of his room.

Cyborg and BB were walking past his door just as the door opened. Robin stopped in the doorway. "Morning," Robin greeted.

BB grunted back. Cyborg waved silently at Robin as they continued down the hallway. "We're gonna go have breakfast," Cyborg eventually said, half heartedly.

Robin realised why he seemed to be in a better mood than his usually chirpy friends. Beast boy and Cy had lost their leading ladies. Star and Bumblebee were missing. Meanwhile, Robin's girlfriend was across the hall. He wanted his friends back too, but he knew if Raven were missing, he'd stop at nothing to find her. "I'll join you in a sec. After we eat, we'll search the city again."

This seemed to lift his friends' spirits. They each gave him a weak smile and continued down the hallway. Robin thought he heard them arguing about bacon or tofu for breakfast as they turned the corner.

Robin sighed. He hated to think it, but he was thankful Raven wasn't also missing. He didn't know what he'd do if she was kidnapped too. Thinking of Raven, he exited his room and walked over to her bedroom door.

Robin knocked on the door, but there was no reply. Thinking maybe she was asleep, he pressed the button that caused Raven's bedroom door to slide open. Her room was dark when he stepped in. He figured that he'd already knocked anyway.

"Raven?" Robin called out. No reply. He saw her bed was empty, so he automatically looked over to her bathroom door. Robin smirked as he remembered the last time he walked into a bathroom with Raven in it.

Robin could hear the shower running but this did not stop him from entering Raven's bathroom.

"Robin!" Raven squealed, realising that Robin had walked in her as she was showering. Raven instinctively brought up a black shield in front of her, semi-covering her nakedness. "What are you doing!?" she asked, annoyed.

Robin laughed. "What!? I've seen you naked before!"

The black shield dropped and Raven smirked back. "Yeah, but that doesn't mean I'm deprived of my dignity from now on!" She said, turning her back on Robin to resume showering. She waved her hand in a 'shooing' manoeuvre. "Now shoo!" She said absent mindedly. Raven heard Robin's footsteps and assumed that Robin had left.

What Raven didn't realise was that Robin hadn't left. Raven heard the shower door open and she turned to see Robin standing at her side. "Robin!" Raven gasped in surprise. Robin was now standing partly in her shower. He leaned in closer to Raven and kissed her. Raven was caught by surprise, but eventually put her arms around Robin, half stepping out of the shower herself. Robin couldn't resist running his hands down her sides, taking advantage of her nakedness. Raven wriggled away quickly as Robin's finger tips tickled her sides. She then unexpectedly pushed Robin out of the shower and smiled at him.

Robin smiled back at her, he could feel his head and shoulders were wet from sticking his top half into the shower. "Hurry up. The boys are eating breakfast now and we're going to head into the city for another search after we've all eaten."

"Uh-Huh," Raven said stoically as she resumed showering. Making sure she could shower in peace, Raven used her powers to teleport Robin to the kitchen. Robin didn't understand what was happening until he was sitting at the table, finding himself sitting opposite Beast boy and Cyborg.

Cyborg and BB stared at Robin, who magically appeared in front of them. Their mouths were side open, their breakfasts practically tumbling out of their mouths. "Dude..?" BB said, stunned.

"What happened to you?" Cyborg asked, his scrambled eggs falling off his fork.

Robin could feel his hair was soaked and plastered to his head. Water dripped down his face. Robin couldn't help but smirk back at his friends. He must've looked quite odd, for he was usually so controlled, with not a hair out of place.

"I got wet," Robin said matter of factly. As he got up to make his own breakfast, Robin left his friends staring at each other with looks of confusion and shock.

------------------------------------------------------

Robin rode around town on his motorbike. They'd each taken a quadrant of the city each to search. They were getting nowhere. There was no sign of Starfire, Bumblebee or Speedy. The sun had just set and they'd been searching all day for their missing comrades.

Robin figured it was time to check in again. He pulled over to the roadside and contacted his fellow titans. "Calling all Titans. Come in."

The little monitor on his Titans communicator split into 3.

"Still nothing over here.." Raven reported.

"Ditto," BB sighed.

"Same. Whoever did this is good.." Cyborg grunted.

Robin nodded. "Almost too good. There's not many bad guys we come across that could pull this off.." Robin explained, thinking aloud.

On the mini monitor, Robin saw BB look quickly behind him. "Er.. guys.. I'm at the docks, you better come down he-" and then his signal went dead.

"Beast boy!" Robin yelled over the communicator. Suddenly Cyborg's line went dead also.

"Raven, where are you?" Robin asked quickly. He didn't want to lose her too.

"I'm outside Jump City East high school," She replied. "I'll meet you at-" and her line went dead too.

"Raven?... RAVEN!?" Robin yelled. Now he was in deep shit. Robin had no idea what to think. He wasn't sure if his friends were alive, dead, kidnapped, or what. Robin put away his communicator and rode off towards the high school Raven stated she was at. He tried to justify his preference for going to Raven's aid first by thinking that she was at the closest location.

Robin was there before he knew it. He wasn't sure what to expect, but the last thing he expected to see was Raven's cape lying across the front steps of the high school. Robin was really worried now. Raven went nowhere without her cape.

He got off his bike and ran over to it. Sitting atop of her cape was a small black communicator. As soon as Robin picked it up, it turned on.

A familiar cycloptic enemy appeared onscreen.

"Slade..!" Robin growled. His fingers threatened to crush the tiny communicator. "_You're_ behind all the disappearances?!"

Slade was smiling under his metallic mask. Robin could hear it in his voice. "Did it get your attention?"

Slade always did have a creepy obsession with making Robin his apprentice. "After all these years," Robin stated, "Do I even need to bother asking what do you want?"

Slade shrugged. "The more things change, the more they stay the same," Slade explained. "Only this time I think I'll turn your friends into my mindless minions instead of the usual threat on their lives.." He crooned. In the background Robin could now see all his missing friends in stasis cylinders, all lined up next to each other. "And _then_ I'll turn you into my apprentice.."

"Don't you dare touch them!" Robin yelled. He couldn't help getting emotional. He psycho held friends captive.

Slade laughed. "Just like old times, eh Robin?" Slade stated. "If you want your friends, come and get them."

"Where are you?"

"I've been feeling quite sentimental lately and so I've returned to a familiar venue.." Slade announced. "The clock is ticking, Robin. But this time, come.. alone.." And with that the communicator switched off.

Robin remembered the last time Slade held his friends captive. Robin's leg was still in a cast and he had to call in for reinforcements instead. Slade knew Robin was back out and raring to go. Only, Robin wasn't ready to face Slade yet. He wasn't back up to full strength yet.

Lack of brawn meant Robin had to use his brain instead. Robin had to outsmart Slade in order to win.

Robin threw the communicator on the ground and stomped on it. He didn't want to take it with him in case there were trackers in it, and he didn't want someone on the street to pick it up. Robin then thought about what Slade had said. 'The clock is ticking'.

Robin thought about the hideouts he'd found Slade in over the years. There was one that always reminded Robin of the inside of a clock. He remembered the cogs turning in the back ground as he fought Slade. It was the place Slade hid in during the early years. And Slade _did_ say he was feeling sentimental.

Robin knew where to go to save his friends. Riddle solved.

Only problem was, Robin was in no shape to take on Slade alone.

Robin decided to head back to the tower to stock up on weaponry and gadgets. He was going to need all the help he could get.

"Help".

"That's it!" Who else had fighting skills to match and even beat Robin's? No, not Batman. Robin needed to handle this his way. And he only knew one person who was willing to play dirty.

Robin ran to his room and grabbed his suit jacket. He pulled out the business card he had left in the pocket. Robin smiled. What a brilliant plan. He picked up the cordless phone and dialled the mobile number on the card.

"Hello?" A female voice answered.

Not what Robin was expecting. "Hello.. is Jason there?" Robin felt like a primary schooler who'd called his friend, only to have their mum pick up the phone.

"Hang on, I'll get him," She said. "Who's speaking?"

What name to give???! "Dick," Robin replied.

Suddenly the woman on the other end gasped. "Ah! Dick Grayson! How are you, sweety? I hope you took my advice about women that I gave you.." She asked suggestively. Robin knew instantly that it was Selena Kyle on the other end. And she was talking about how she said to ditch the multicolours and go for black. Before Robin could reply, he could hear Jason in the background asking for the phone.

"Dick?" Jason asked.

Robin didn't have time for (anymore) pleasantries. "I need your help!"

Robin expected Jason to crack a smart ass comment but Jason could hear the seriousness in Robin's voice. "What do you need?"

--------------------------------------------------

Robin stood at his bedside. Sitting on his bed was the gift box that Alfred had given him. He smirked as he lifted the lid and admired the black and blue fabric inside the box. Alfred always did have a great sense of timing. Robin had silently been debating recently if it'd been a time for change. He was at the end of his teen years and the red, green and yellow was getting old; and not very stealthy.

----------

Robin's heart beat a mile a minute. He pushed forward the large metal doors and walked into the room full of turning cogs. He hated this place. This was a place of many unpleasant memories for Robin. The many battles with Slade, the almost losing his mind chasing an imaginary Slade, almost being killed by nanites in his blood, and so on.

This time he was going to put an end to it all. An end to Slade's reign. Five years in the making. Robin knew how he was going to win this battle. He was going to change tactics. Forget playing by Slade's rules. Forget playing by Robins rules. Robin was going to win this by making up a new set of rules.

"SLAAAAAAAAADE!" Robin yelled out into the darkness.

Of course Slade was ready and waiting. The instant that Robin called out, the lights flicked on and Robin could see Slade standing on the far side of the room. Behind him, six stasis containers containing Raven, BB, Cyborg, Starfire, Bumblebee and Speedy.

"Welcome Robin," Slade greeted. Slade took in the sight before him. "I see you've had a change in your recent absence."

Robin walked across the empty room towards Slade. He wore the new hero outfit that Alfred had given him. Black, with a blue firebird printed on the chest plate. Robin's normally spiked hair now hung long and flopped about without hair gel. Two pieces of his fringe fell in front of his face. "Robin's gone," Robin said. "I go by Nightwing now," he growled at Slade.

Robin knew Slade would find this piece of news so intriguing that he would not notice another guest walking on the boardwalk above the cryo tanks.

"Interesting new development.." Slade said, tilting his head slightly.

Robin watched over Slade's shoulder as his hidden ally moved in the shadows to the computer panel controlling the cryo tanks. Robin couldn't hear a thing, but could see on the monitors that the tanks were slowly defrosting his friends.

"What's more interesting," Robin said, continuing to distract Slade. "Is that this new suit comes by another set of rules."

Slade tilted his head again, obviously not comprehending what Robin was on about. Robin didn't care. He could see his friend in the shadows had taken the hint and was now turned to face Slade. "What new rul-" But it was too late for Slade to finish the question.

The added guest yelled as he leaped into the air and kicked Slade in the ribs.

Slade was thrown to the ground by the unseen person. Slade, lying on the floor with his hand cupping the ribs that just copped a karate kick. He looked up at Nightwing and Red X, standing side by side. Both friends standing almost identically, standing confidently with arms crossed as they looked down at their fallen enemy. Slade, having previously known Robin to follow Slade's rules or see his friends die, was genuinely surprised by this sudden development. "That's cheating, Nightwing," Slade crooned.

"There are no rules," Red X said confidently. "Not anymore".

-----------------------------------------------

**Author's notes:** so what did ya's think?

Don't worry, that isn't the end! But we're getting close to it!


	18. ch18: is this the end?

**Author's notes:** okay, UBER UBER sorry for taking so long to post this, but I have lost interest in my own story, which comes with my pseudo-ADD and changing interests too quickly! But this is the FINAL CHAPTER! I hope my need to finally end this story hasn't made the last chapter too rushed.. but I wrote this and realised, there was no need to write more.. the story ended as I always like to end stories.. simple, with a smile on the reader's dial.

A sidenote: there's been a lot of reviews! So here's me trying 2 answer all your questions at once:  
I've never ever ever read any of the TT, or batman comics! I've seen only the TT cartoon and the batman movies (both new and the 90s ones). Any past history of robin's or Batmans, im basing off the old 90s  
movies. (Eg. Poison Ivy, Chase Meridian (Nicole kidman), Robin's old short haircut). Etc etc. Anything to do with Jason Todd, I made up off the top of my head. I actually pulled the name from a TT episode where BB starts thinking Robin's a robot zombie!

But enough with the smalltalk.. on with the SHOW!

p.s I've made the final transition from Robin to Nightwing! WHOOHOO!

**Ch18: is this the end??**

"There are no rules," Red X said confidently. "Not anymore"

Slade, always the strategist, wasted no time with small talk and swung his legs around in an attempt to kick out Red X and Nightwing's legs off the ground.

Robin/Nightwing and Red X both sprung into action and flipped backwards twice each, and landed next to each other in similar stances. Nightwing pulled out his bo staff from his back pocket and it expanded to full length. Red X held out 4 red crosses, ready to throw at Slade.

Slade took his time standing up. He knew the duo would wait to see what he did next. "I must say, Robin, this is quite an unlikely alliance you've formed here." He then turned to Red X. "And what do you get out of all this?"

Red X scoffed in amusement. "I get to have fun kicking your ass, of course. Who wouldn't want to be known as the one to bring down Slade."

Nightwing could see on the far side of the room, his friends were slowly starting to move in their cryo chambers. He needed to buy some time until they woke up fully. He looked back at Slade and suddenly felt a wave of hate for the man before him. Slade had brought nothing but pain, suffering and pure evil to the Titans and Jump city. He needed to be stopped. 'Slade has to die..' Nightwing thought to himself.

"Enough talk," Nightwing growled and he lunged into action. Red X threw two red crosses ahead of Nightwing, but Slade dodged them.

On the far side of the room, Raven felt like she was waking from a deep sleep. Her body felt lethargic, and stiff. She felt her body slump down onto the floor, and realised she was encased in a fibreglass cylinder. Wondering how she got there, Raven tried to remember what had happened. She remembered talking to Robin via the communicator, and then darkness. She looked up and saw across the room, Red X and Slade were fighting each other. There was also a third person fighting Slade. Raven blinked a few times to clear her vision in the hopes of finding out who it was.

The third man was dressed all in black, and looked familiar. She felt her heart flutter as she realised that it was Robin in a new suit.

"It is Nightwing!" Raven heard someone say. She looked to her left and saw Starfire flying around in her cylinder, looking out at Robin. Raven remembered when Starfire told them about how she went to the future and met Nightwing. Raven looked back out at the fight across the room. She looked back at her friends, all waking up from their slumber.

"Are you all alright?!" Raven yelled out to her comrades. Five faces looked back at her and nodded.

Cy swung his arm back and then punched the cylinder as hard as he could. The cylinder cracked but didn't break. Starfire took a swing at her cylinder and it smashed open. She then flew over to the others to help them break free from their prisons. Raven used her magic and created a door through the cylinder.

Nightwing saw in the corner of his eye that his team mates were waking and freeing themselves. He was relieved. He looked back over at Slade, who was getting up from the kick Red X just gave him. Red X looked at Nightwing. "You want to finish him off or should I?"

Nightwing was taken back by the question. He knew that Slade had to die. Nightwing knew that it would come to this when he and Red X made their way to the warehouse. But what Nightwing didn't realise was that he was not prepared to take a life in cold blood. His idol and mentor, Batman, had lived by one rule; to never take a life. Nightwing was sure that Batman continued to stand by this rule, even though over the years, a few bad guys had plummeted to their own deaths through their own sheer stupidity, greed and general psychoticness. Nightwing didn't know how to respond to Red X's question. Was he ready for this? Was he ready to be someone he never thought he'd be?

Red X grew impatient. Slade saw the hesitation. "He knows he can't do it," Slade said to Red X. "Robin is weak. He has always been weak. He values human life so much that he wont do what needs to be done to win the game. So much for rules going out the window.."

Red X and Nightwing looked over at Slade. Nightwing was mad. Slade always rubbed him the wrong way. Nightwing charged Slade. A stupid mistake, and Nightwing knew it. But he was so fuelled by rage, that he felt his legs moving of their own accord. He could see Red X running next to him as they both began their tag-team assault on Slade again.

The rest of the Titans had freed themselves from their cylindric prisons. Beast boy commented in awe, "Whoah, look at them go!"

"We have to help them!" Starfire squealed as she began to fly over.

But Cyborg grabbed her leg and stopped her. "Wait. This is their fight. Let's see if they need our help first".

Raven stood silently watching the fight like a hawk, just in case Nightwing needed her help.

Red X blocked Slade's punch as Nightwing kicked Slade in the ribs. Slade was quick. He grabbed Nightwing's leg and swung around, throwing Nightwing into Red X and the duo went skidding across the room.

They both stood up, and Red X grumbled. "That's IT! WE END THIS NOW!" and he charged at Slade. Nightwing was still on the ground and threw his batterangs over Red X's shoulder, at Slade to back up his friend. Red X continued to run at Slade, also throwing red crosses at Slade.

The force of the exploding batterangs and the red crosses expanding and wrapping themselves over Slade's body had overpowered the older man. Slade, now wrapped in Red crosses, couldn't move his arms and legs, and was forced to the ground by one final exploding batterang. Red X jumped into the air and was about to land on Slade. In mid air, during his descent onto Slade, Red X pulled out a dagger from over his shoulder. It had previously been concealed until now.

"Hey!"Nightwing called out when he saw the dagger. Red X was going for the kill. Slade's eye grew larger, seeing what was coming towards him and he was powerless to stop it.

The Titans watched from across the room. Raven gasped when she was that Red X was about to stab and kill Slade. Her instincts kicked into overdrive and she stretched her hand out towards Slade. She whispered an incantation, while watching Red X's descent as if it were in slow motion.

Just a moment before Red X was meant to land on Slade, Slade's body was engulfed in a black bubble, and he was sucked into the ground, like a shadow disappearing from the light. Red X landed on the ground and tumbled away. He and Nightwing stood, looking around for Slade.

"Where'd he go?" Red X yelled, furiously looking around the room.

"I sent him away," Raven called out. The duo ran over to Raven and the rest of the Titans.

"What do you mean by _away_?" Nightwing asked.

Raven explained that she'd sent Slade to her home world via a portal. She assured the others that Slade was not going to cause any more trouble, as her home world is in another dimension and the last time she went to it, she found that the planet was in ruins and so he'd be living out the rest of his days alone with no way home.

"Well good riddance to bad poo poo!" Starfire exclaimed, putting her hands on her hips and nodding once for good measure.

Red X put his dagger away and began to walk away. Nightwing turned and called out, "Where are you going?"

Red X turned to him, "I don't do this hero debriefing thing. I'm going back to Gotham city. Catcha round!" And with that, Red X left. Nightwing was sure he'd be seeing Red X/Jason Todd again.

-----------------------

Back at the Tower, the Titans sat around the dinner table, eating pizza. It was almost 3am, and they were talking about the recent Slade saga. Nightwing explained to the Titans, and Bumblebee and Speedy, about how he'd called Red X to help, how he put on the new suit Alfred had given him, and about how he had the full intention of killing Slade, but in the end he couldn't do it.

"Well, I'm glad you couldn't do it," Bumblebee said. "Because once you take a life, then you're no better than the bad guys we fight every day!"

Cy smiled at Bumblebee. "That's my girl".

Bumblebee and Speedy had agreed to stay the night, so they don't head back to Steel city in the middle of the night.

"I don't know about you all, but I'm totally exhausted!" BB yawned. He raised his arms in the air, and then brought one arm around Starfire's shoulders.

Nightwing looked around the table, taking in how much things have changed in the last couple of months. Who'd have thought that a broken leg could change things so much?

"Time to hit the sack," Cy stated, standing up. He held his hand out to Bumblebee. "May I show you to your room, M'Lady?" He said in the most old-English gentlemanly way possible. Bumblebee giggled and took Cyborg's hand. They wished everyone a goodnight and left the rec room. Speedy left next, commenting under his breath about being a 3rd wheel all of a sudden. BB and Star excused themselves and Nightwing was left, staring across the table at Raven.

Feeling completely comfortable in the tower, Nightwing took his mask off. He saw Raven smiling at him. Nightwing didn't know what to say next, but Raven seemed to say it all. "Time for bed?"

Nightwing smiled back at Raven and said in perfect agreement, "Time for bed".

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THE END

**Author's notes:** don't forget to tell me what you think! I may not write again for a while, so I wish you all the best in everything, and if all else fails, Make love not war.


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